Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited his constituency Varanasi and projected his usual Mr Development image, made several announcements in his speech, ranging from ‘dedication’ to ‘launching’ of development initiatives.
While campaigning for the 2014 elections, PM Modi had said that it was “Maa Ganga” who had called him to the city and he had promised, “A sea of change in the lives of people of Varanasi and Purvanchal so that this region once again becomes the focal point of our nation’s development and our proud culture.”
Till today, neither the ‘sea’ nor the ‘river’ has witnessed any change. A 2018 report states that while the prime minister has cleaned up Ganga’s ghats, the Ganga itself has seen hardly any improvement. According to a visit carried out by The Print, “the river itself is still chock-full of floating waste, pious refuse, animal and human remains, and sewerage.” No progress has been made on tackling the issue of disposal of dead bodies into the river either.
While the government representatives deny that any sewage is being discharged into the Ganga, it is reportedly done at half a dozen points in the river. There are frequent complaints of sewage getting mixed with the city’s water supply. Beautification of 84 ghats has already been carried out, but Modi has announced yet another redevelopment of ghats in his speech on Saturday. Work on Ganga maiya can wait even though it is the source of one-third of the city’s water supply.
The city’s water is often undrinkable and the city’s air, un-breathable. Recently, WHO data revealed that Varanasi is among the world’s most polluted cities. Another study based on Central Pollution Control Board’s air quality data ranks Varanasi’s air as India’s most toxic.
With rising temperatures and Ganga’s receding water levels, Varanasi’s woes are about to multiply with a water crisis that is likely to hit the city soon. Officials have already warned people against wasting water.
Like Saturday, Modi had made another speech in 2015, where he had announced a bunch of development works to be carried out in the city. In this address, Modi had suggested that all street bulbs in Varanasi should be replaced with LED lights, which would save the Varanasi Municipal Corporation a lot of money in electricity bills, and that money could then be used to keep the city clean.
This was part of the government’s UJALA scheme, which, according to the PM’s speech in the Lok Sabha, would result in savings of Rs. 11,000 crore. However, a report has revealed two interesting things – the scheme was first envisaged by the UPA, and that the PM’s inflated projection was based on the dodgy calculations of a PwC study conducted in 2015. The said calculations have also challenged by a World Bank report.
The quality of the basic infrastructure of the temple city was exposed in May this year when a fly-over that was under construction collapsed, killing 18 people. The problem of potholes has been widely reported in the media too. An ABP report from May this year shows locals complaining of shoddy patchworks that are carried out before visits by high ranking officials.
Under the MPLADS scheme, Rs. 2.5 crore was allocated in 2016 to carry out several projects by 2017-2018. A status report on the Varanasi district website reveals that out of 35 of these small works projects, like the construction of roads, water pumps etc., work had not even started on 32 of them.
Last month, after visiting Varanasi Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons called it a “dirty city” which “needs to be cleaned.” He expressed serious concerns over the sanitation, cleanliness and traffic condition. “The roads here are congested which results in traffic jams and is a cause of concern,” Alphons said.
It is clear from the status of basic facilities like drinking water to infrastructure that PM Modi’s tall promises and jumlas have been of little help to the residents of Varanasi. The shortcomings of previous governments are no longer an excuse since it has been four years since the Prime Minister took charge of the city.
The only believable part about PM Modi’s exaggerated speeches about Varanasi is that it is a heritage city full of ancient wisdom – the Varanasi Nagar Nigam is still using single-entry bookkeeping for its accounts.