Send back cruise ship, cry Varanasi boatmen
VARANASI :Boatmen remained on a day-long strike in Varanasi on Wednesday to press for their demands, including sending back the cruise ship, renewal of boat licences as per old rules, permanent appointment of divers in Jal Police and ban on water sports in Kashi and land along the Ganga to be leased in the name of boatmen.
Maa Ganga Nisadraj Seva Samiti state secretary Harishchandra Bind said that there is anger among the boatmen over operation of the cruise ship on the Ganga as it is taking away the livelihood of the boatmen.
Bind said that the cruise ship began operating on the river around two years after the Prime Minister took a boat ride on the Ganga.
Bind said boatmen observed that the government is behind operation of the cruise ship as it gave permission for its operation, which is no less than taking away the livelihood of 40,000 boatmen.
He said that if Prime Minister Narenda Modi didn’t pay attention to their demands, the boatmen of Kashi will travel across the country and tell their community people that Varanasi member of Parliamant (MP) in association with his capitalist friends was responsible for them losing their livelihood.
The boatmen wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister Modi to press for their demands.
He said that Apna Dal, CPI (ML), Rashtriya Dalit Adivasi Manch, AAP, Sajha Sanskriti Manch, Bharatiya Manav Samaj Party had extended support to them.