Varanasi, Oct 15 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday attacked the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government in the state, asserting that houses for the poor and marginalised will now be built on the lands which were earlier claimed by “mafias” in Uttar Pradesh.
The Chief Minister made the remarks while addressing the ‘Swachhta Mitra Samman Sammaroh’ in Varanasi.
Lashing out at the previous SP government, CM Adityanath said: “The only place for the mafia is underground. Lands once occupied by the mafias will now become sites for homes for the poor. In Prayagraj, the construction of multi-story residential buildings for the poor, the marginalised, and the Dalits will soon commence on land reclaimed from the mafia.”
He is scheduled to perform the ‘bhoomi pujan’ of Padma Lok Apartment, a multi-storey residential project to come up in Prayagraj on government land freed from the possession of mafia leader Atiq Ahmed, the Chief Minister’s Office said on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ‘double-engine’ government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of the poor in Uttar Pradesh.
In an apparent reference to Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, CM Adityanath took a jibe, saying: “If a public representative—or a leader—wakes up as late as noon, remains preoccupied solely with their own family, and makes the mistake of equating their family with the entire society or state, then destruction is inevitable.”
He added that only those who view the entire society, the state, and the nation as their own family are capable of bringing about real change.
The Chief Minister also took aim at those public representatives who, once elected, remain in Lucknow and “never return to visit their constituencies”.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that, in the past, wages or honorariums of sanitation workers were deducted after they completed their work and were sometimes, not even paid the full amount.
He issued a stern warning to those indulging in such acts, saying that in Uttar Pradesh, “any individual found cutting the pay of sanitation workers will face strict action”.
“Such arbitrary practices will no longer be tolerated. The government has issued strict directives to prevent any deductions from their (sanitation workers’) honorariums. Through the Uttar Pradesh Outsource Corporation, a system has been established to ensure that these workers receive a minimum honorarium of 16,000 rupees. They will also be entitled to medical treatment at hospitals under the ESI (Employees’ State Insurance) scheme, as well as insurance coverage and Provident Fund (PF) benefits. In the event of a fatal accident, their families will receive financial assistance. The PF provision ensures that workers will have their own savings upon retirement, sparing them from having to depend on others,” CM Adityanath said.
He emphasised that sanitation workers clean the streets and neighborhoods while most people are still asleep, that too regardless of the season and even during festivals.
The Chief Minister said that during the Prayagraj Mahakumbh, a high standard of cleanliness was maintained despite the arrival of 66 crore pilgrims, which was the result of the hard work of the sanitation staff.
CM Adityanath alleged that before 2014, the lanes of Varanasi were plagued by filth; the streets were congested with traffic, and there was a persistent power crisis.
“Stray cattle roamed the roads, and land mafias created an atmosphere of fear by seizing the properties and homes of the poor and business owners. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kashi has undergone a complete transformation. It is now moving forward with a new radiance, all while preserving its rich spiritual and cultural heritage,” he said.
–IANS
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