NEW DELHI: The residents of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts of western Uttar Pradesh claim they will vote for better civic facilities instead of national issues.
“The BJP, which has held the reins of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad for a decade, has failed to address the pressing development issues. Whether in urban or rural areas, the situation is dire. The BJP’s focus on national issues is a ploy to divert attention from the failures of its MPs. However, the ground reality is that people are yearning for efficient service delivery, a dream that remains distant. The plight of farmers, a significant concern, has also been neglected,” voiced Dushyant Nagar, a farmers’ rights activist, on Tuesday.
Despite the rapid urbanisation characterised by the emergence of high-rise societies, commercial complexes, malls, metros, and educational institutes, the need for more basic civic infrastructure is glaring. Pothole-ridden roads, inadequate public transport, inefficient waste disposal mechanisms, and erratic water and power supply are the stark realities.
“There is a poor bus facility between Noida and Ghaziabad and last-mile connectivity. Our representatives make big promises before elections but forget them after winning,” said Noida-based social activist Manoj Kumar.
Though the metro has reached Noida and Ghaziabad, several areas still need to be within reach, and commuters have to rely on private transport to commute from one place to another.
“I reside in Greater Noida (West) and commute to my office in Delhi, a distance of 12 kilometres. I rely on a shared auto to reach the metro station, but often, I struggle to find one, leading to delays. Moreover, the auto drivers exploit the situation, charging exorbitant fares,” shared Saurav, a resident of one of the societies.
Since urban residents are gradually expanding, people complain about poor health and education facilities. “The problem is that facilities are not expanding accordingly. Neither government hospitals nor schools and colleges are coming into newly developed pockets. In many areas, people are fully dependent on private hospitals, schools and colleges,” said Neeraj Singh, an RTI activist from Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Both the districts are going to polls on April 26 in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.