(News) Bundelkhand in dilemma over split proposal

"Bundelkhand nahin, vikas chahiye". The slogan scribbled on a pillar near Dhasan river on UP-Madhya Pradesh border in Jhansi conveys the aspiration of people of this region where development is yet to be seen.

On November 15 last, chief minister Mayawati gave the proposal to split UP into four parts (Bundelkhand, Paschim Pradesh, Avadh Pradesh and Purvanchal) on the pretext that smaller states can be managed better as compared to bigger ones. The CM had said that UP was backward mainly because of its huge size. The resolution to divide the state was passed within 20 minutes in the state assembly.

The people of this region are not sure what would be better for them - separation or better management, while still remaining with the parent state. For some, the most important thing is development, instead of division. Some, however, say a separate state will address their woes and ensure that fruits of development reach the grassroots.

The awareness on the issue is largely absent in the villages where around 70% of the region's population lives. Villagers, in fact, are confused how a separate state would benefit them. "UP or Bundelkhand, how does it matter to us? I doubt that our conditions would remain largely the same," said Pankaj Tomar, a resident of Chaurasi village in Jalaun. For Kamta Prasad, a resident of Ramnagar village, development may be confined to the urban parts only. "Villages will remain deprived of the development," he said.

Similar views were aired in districts like Chitrakoot. Residents said the city could have been developed as a tourist destination. "But that never happened. What is the guarantee that it will happen when the city becomes part of a new state," said Abhilash Kashyap, who has been working on the various social issues in the region for the past many years. "Our conditions have remained at the lowest level for past many years. I don't know if things will change drastically," said Ram Niwaj of Deokali village in Chitrakoot.

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Courtesy: timesofindia.com