Akhilesh deaf to Agra woes?

Agra: When young Akhilesh Yadav took over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in March 2012, tall promises of speedy development and transparency in governance were made.

However, commentators and activists argue that neither the political culture nor the ruling dispensation changed to show any sense of urgency in speeding up structural reforms. No wonder, the mood of despondency and despair has pervaded.

"If there is one person who has made mockery of democratic socialism by his persona, his dynastic aspirations and his actions, it is undoubtedly Mulayam Singh Yadav, and now his son whose understanding of the political processes is as superficial as face powder and seems lost for direction and passion," says political commentator Paras Nath Choudhary.

People in the Agra region comprising districts of Agra, Mathura, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, are disillusioned because they feel the Samajwadi Party (SP) has not kept its poll promises.

In terms of facilities and ambience, Agra offers virtually nothing. The city is neither tourist-friendly nor worthy of great monuments, says hotelier Surendra Sharma. Agra has been a victim of lobbying and consistent step-motherly treatment, says Wake Up Agra president Shishir Bhagat.

The city's 1.3 million residents feel "India's tourist destination has suffered as a result of poor political leadership".

Air connectivity continues to remain a major hindrance.

"This issue has been hanging because of intense lobbying by various interest groups. The chief minister had in April 2012 agreed in principle to reduce VAT on aviation fuel to attract airlines to the Kheria airport in Agra, but so far has not acted on his own promise," laments Agra Vikas Foundation chairman K.C Jain to IANS..

Akhilesh Yadav, an environmentalist himself, has shown no interest nor spelt out any plan for cleaning river Yamuna, complain activists.

"He is more keen on a tiger safari park and an elephant rescue park in the Etawah region," says environmental activist Shravan Kumar Singh.

"They are not even concerned that a dry river bed is a constant threat to Taj Mahal's survival. The SPM level is constantly rising because of the dust from the dry river," says river Yamuna activist Naresh Paras.

Traffic is one of the biggest problems in Agra. Activist Anand Rai says that the time has come to take drastic action against encroachers and traffic rules violators.

"The Agra Municipal Corporation finds its resources unequal to the challenges of garbage management, regular cleaning and general maintenance of the urban facilities. Corruption is a major problem which unfortunately has not attracted the notice of the Samajwadi Party government," tourism industry leader Sandeep Arora told IANS.
Home maker Padmini, associated with Nari and Bal Vikas Samiti, says the city lacks a proper bus transport system. The connectivity is poor between different tourist places, and she complains tourists are cheated by cab operators.

The state government, ignoring the basic problems of the city, has lately shown more interest in a thousand-crore-rupee-mega theme park project and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, on lines of Yamuna Expressway promoted by Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati.

Before the elections, the Samajwadi Party had promised to shunt out private discom Torrent from Agra, but the company not only continues to run the show but also extend its reach.

Even though the Supreme Court of India had directed the state government to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Taj Trapezium Zone, spread over 10,000 sq kms, the goal is yet to be achieved.

Activists also argue that since Agra lies in a sensitive eco-sensitive zone, the city should be under a centrally administered unit.

"It has been one of the long standing demands of this city that for speedy and scientific development of the city. Right now we have the Mission Management Board, the Taj Trapezium Zone coordination committee, the central and the state pollution control boards, the municipal corporation, the zila panchayat, the housing board and the Development Authority, each with its own set of priorities and levels of accountability," Sudhier Gupta of the Heritage Society told IANS.

"This creates confusion and duplication of efforts which result in promotion of corrupt practices," says Gupta.