People left in lurch but govt busy in ‘flood tourism’: Akhilesh | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Accusing the BJP govt of indulging in “flood tourism” by going for only aerial surveys of flood-hit areas, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said lakhs of people in over a dozen districts have been left to fend for themselves.“Where is the Chief Minister’s ‘Team 11′ that was constituted to look after flood relief operations? Instead of relief, the govt is only offering hollow assurances. People and livestock have been marooned in villages and far-flung areas of cities without any food, drinking water, medicines and fodder for animals,” Akhilesh said in a statement issued on Monday.He said the flood situation was getting from bad to worse in Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, Shahjahanpur, Pilibhit, Kanpur Dehat, Auraiya, Etawah, Kannauj, Farrukhabad, Sitapur, Hardoi, Varanasi and other districts. “People are struggling to survive in the absence of any relief from the state govt,” he claimed.“The CM’s aerial surveys of flood hit areas are proving to be nothing more than flood tourism. People have been forced to take refuge on rooftops or abandon their houses to take shelter in safer areas. Roads and by-lanes are submerged in flood water and silt,” he said. “In Mathura, water has flooded hundreds of shops. In Prayagraj, flood water has entered houses and residential areas. Several colonies have been marooned in Agra. Floods have caused massive damage to crops in dozens of districts but the govt has left the people at God’s mercy,” Akhilesh said.The former UP CM said flood devastation has come as the proverbial last straw for lakhs of people who were grappling with joblessness and rising prices of essential commodities.“The flood has destroyed the poor, and the govt is showing no concern for the people,” he said.‘Probe a/cs linked to digital arrests’Akhilesh Yadav on Monday questioned the BJP govt over its failure to probe bank accounts linked to digital arrest frauds. “Why is the govt not probing bank accounts that the digital arrest fraud accused use to get the money transferred into by victims? Is the govt shying away from initiating action against such bank accounts because of complicity,” he asked.‘Officers skipped min’s meeting in Agra’The SP chief also took a jibe at BJP govt over failure of administrative officials in Agra to turn up and address the grievances of farmers invited by UP minister Baby Rani Maurya recently. He tweeted a video of the minister raising the issue saying that she would take up the matter with the CM.