Our Bureau/

When entire Bihar is celebrating its 110- centenary, a mega-dharna for an indefinite period has started at Bhagalpur from today, located some 223 km east of state headquarters, Patna.

Instead of celebrating the centenary celebration, people have started demanding immediate air service facility at Bhagalpur city which still has a vibrant business potentiality. They agitators also raised their 12 point charted of demands including connecting the half-excavated ruins of ancient seat of learning, Vikramshila Buddhist Mahavihara in  Buddhist circuit of the country.

The agitators staged the mega-dharna while putting a big cut out of Bihar assembly having the pictures of state chief minister and the leader of the opposition on their back. The photographs of local public representatives, MPs and MLAs are also attached. “As we are protesting symbolically, we tried to make people here aware of the fact that how we have been neglected since long with placing  the cutout of Bihar assembly and the pictures of public representatives, pointed out Binay Kumar Sinha, an active social worker and an agitator today.

The main demand.

In protest against the age old governmental apathy and gross injustice towards the historical ancient silk city Bhagalpur, residents here started the mega-dharna. Hundreds of people mostly from all walks of lives gathered at Deep Narayan Singh memorial (Ghantaghar) in the heart of the city started the mega-dharna from this evening after a meeting. Many speakers who address the meet, justified this mega-dharna, alleged the governmental apathy for blocking the development of this ancient place. “Bhagalpur and its surrounding areas in eastern Bihar, popularly and historically known as Anga Pradesh has equal contribution for the rise of Bihar like Magadh and other places. Than why we the residents of this place have to face such apathy in terms of governmental negligence for the development of our area?” pointed out Kamal Jaiswala, convener of this mega-dharna.

He alleged the indifferent attitude of the state government and has blamed it for blocking the due share of Bhagalpur and its surrounding parts. “Earlier Bhagalpur had been selected in the list of smart cities during the first introduction of smart city concept in India. Secondly, the prime minister, Narendra Modi who had shown his keen interests on the historical heritages, earlier announced for a central University in the name of Vikramshila Mahavihara in the pattern of Nalanda University. The government granted Rs 500 crore’s package for the central varsity and assigned the state government for allocating 500 Acres of land. Nitish government which had never shown any interest towards Vikramshila Mahavihara and even on Bhagalpur and its surroundings, after spending more than 15 years somehow managed to locate only 200 acres of lands. Such instances are enough to show state government’s stepmotherly attitude  towards this region,” Jaiswala alleged.

Kamal Jaiswala addressing the mega-dharna today.

Majority of the speakers today underlined air service as the immediate requirement of the city and the area. Geographically, Bhagalpur is located in between Patna and Kolkata and considered to be a major trade center. Bhagalpur has its long history in outstanding contribution in the field of trade and commerce, art and literature. It also has religious significances among the flowers of different religious. Besides, Bhagalpur and its surrounding areas produces special variety of Jardalu mango, essence-rice like Katarni rice and Katarni variety of fattened rice, other agriculture products which are very important items in food processing industries. Products like Bhagalpuri silk, Jardalu mango or Katarni varieties of rice etc has a large demand in markets abroad. But due to non-availability of air services here, the local manufacturers and farmers could not contribute in the business growth of the country with their products.

Speakers alleging governmental apathy and negligences at the mega-dharna venue.

Anand Kumar Mishra, co-convener of the mega-dharna pointed out the religious significance of Bhagalpur and its surrounding for both Buddhists, Jainises apart from Hindu and Muslims. “ Majority of the pilgrims who even visited this areas, have to face immense hardship mostly due to non-availability of air services here. Introduction of the air service here would encourage more tourists to visit this place and that would certainly boost up employment opportunities as well as would increase government’s revenue generation,” Mishra pointed out.

Jaiswalal who claimed to have mass support said, “now people of this region became ready to take the due share of their native land in terms of development and necessary requirements like air service. And for that people united today and they have devised step-wise strategies for intensifying future movements for such causes”.