Bisada residents want development of village
Residents of the nondescript village Bisada, which shot to limelight following the lynching of Mohammad Ikhlaq last September, feel several important national leaders who visited the village failed to see the lack of development there.
Residents of the nondescript village Bisada, which shot to limelight following the lynching of Mohammad Ikhlaq last September, feel several important national leaders who visited the village failed to see the lack of development there.
The village, which has a dominant Hindu population, is located a few kilometres from the GT Road in Gautam Budh Nagar.
The village was visited by important politicians -- Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice-president, Mahesh Sharma, area MP and Union minister, Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi chief minister -- but the villagers said that the leaders failed to notice the need for development.
“The main road in our village is in tatters and was last repaired 5-6 years ago. Handpumps draw foul smelling water and we have to bore submersible pumps nearly 120 feet below the ground to get clean water. The drains are not cemented. The main road that leads to Dadri town is battered but villagers have no other route to fetch daily use items from Dadri kasba,” Prem kumar Singh, a 55-year-old resident, said.
Suraj Pal, another villager, claims the reason for lack of development is that the present MLA is not from the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP).
“The adjacent Dhaulana village, in Hapur, has an MLA from SP and one can witness a marked contrast in the condition of metalled roads there. Senior administration officials camped here for nearly a month after the lynching but they hardly noticed the need for development. Our village became famous for lynching. It is high time we look forward to development,” he said.
Bisada has a population between 15,000 and 20,000, of which 40 families are from the Muslim community. The majority population are optimistic that the court will order filing of an FIR for cow slaughter.
Villagers said that the road leading from GT Road to NTPC plant at Dadri is properly cemented while the road leading from Bisada towards Dhaulana and Pilkhuwa are in dire need of repairs.
“The roads are poorly lit and one cannot imagine stepping out after evening, as it becomes pitch dark. One cannot ride a two-wheeler over a speed of 30kmph on Bisada to Dadri road. Everyone arrives here asking directions to the village where a Muslim man was lynched but the development been back-burnered,” Yashpal Singh, another villager, said.
District magistrate NP Singh said the state government is committed to developing the area.
“The villagers had a meeting with our officials for the developmental works and a second meeting will soon be held to draw the plan for required amenities. The piped water supply is under development and an overhead tank is also being installed. We have also called upon the villagers to help restore ponds so that groundwater is recharged sufficiently. We have also sought help from NTPC and other industries for the initiative,” Singh said.
