Shravasti district is among India's top international destinations and has a village which Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav adopted last year. So, one naturally expects Shravasti to be among the most developed districts of the state. But that is, till one pays the district a visit.
Shravasti, which went to polls on Monday in the fifth phase of Uttar Pradesh elections, is symbolic of the state's sustained apathy. This has, over the years, ensured that while areas around it progress and modernise, it remains trapped in time.
The place that once was the capital of the great kingdom of Kosala, now has the state's lowest per capita income, lowest literacy rate, no registered factories nor any other established institutions. Railway lines are yet to reach Shravasti and it is also at the state's bottom-most position of urban population and has some three percent urban population.
From Congress to BJP, Samajwadi party to Bahujan Samaj party all have by turns governed the district comprising two assembly constituencies of Bhinga and Shravasti. So, when the district went to polls on Monday, the locals hardly showed any excitement.
Railway lines are yet to reach this place which is situated on the banks of Rapti river and is surrounded by thick forests. The locals can catch a train only by travelling to neighboring districts of Bahraich and Balrampur--both being more than 30 kilometers away. The backwardness of this place can easily be gauged from absence of toilets and electricity in several households and poor health, education facilities here.
Dotted with small lakes, swamps and farms, the Bhinga constituency is defined by its kuccha houses. It has one town and about 180 villages or gram sabhas and the primary source of income here is farming. People are either jobless, farmers or go out to work as construction labourers in the neighbouring districts.
Women in these villages work equally hard if not more to run their households by farming and fishing. They are are not just hard-working but also talented. They make decorative items out of jute and bamboo like baskets, lamps, small furniture etc. They have the talent but what they lack is a market to showcase their skills. And therefore, the goods they make lie unused and dust-laden because no one in their village can afford them.
There is another striking quality about these women. They are quite vocal about their views. Phoolmati, a resident of Van Masaha village told DNA, "Our village has around 200 houses and most of them don't have toilets and electricity. There is no source of income here. We will vote like we always do, but don't think anything will change here."
Residents of Motipur Kala, the gram Sabha which was adopted by Akhilesh last year, also did not show much excitement about elections. A 48-year-old Gokul Prasad said, "When Akhilesh came here, they made roads and renovated the school. Akhilesh promised we will get gas stoves, cooker and cycles. None of this reached us. "
The other assembly seat in this district of Shravasti is also miserable despite having many famous tourist attractions like Jetavana Mahavihar-- where Gautam Buddha spent 24 years, the famous temple of Jains Sambhav Nath Jain temple, Angulimal ki gufa, Syed Meera Shah baba's mazaar etc.
Shravsti gets lakhs of tourists every year. And not just from India but from all across the world. However, reaching Shravasti is next to impossible for someone expecting to avail public transport. Shravasti, which has a town and about 180 villages, does not even have a roadways depot or taxi services.
Maha Prasad Verma, who runs an NGO to assist tourists of Shravasti said, "Tourists from over 40 countries like America, China and Myanmar come here. But there are no facilities. The only development that Shravasti has seen is new hotels. It lacks behind in everything else. Thousands of people die here every year because of want of proper treatment." Shravasti district has two government hospitals--one in Bhinga and one in Shravasti and some primary health care centres. But the facility they offer are much below the mark, say locals.
Both the assembly constituencies of Shravasti have sitting MLAs from Samajwadi party and this district is likely to witness a close tough triangular between SP, BJP and BSP. Shravasti district recorded a voter turnout of 61.15% on Monday.
