No end to Dalelpur's woes: Requisitioned motor boat unavailable, another boat owner roped in

The Noida administration said Friday it has requisitioned another motor boat to ferry voters across the Yamuna from Dalelpur village to help them reach the polling station and back home after the owner of the first boat said it would be unavailable for service on April 11.

Noida's Dalelpur is the only village in the Gautam Buddh Nagar constituency which falls across the river towards Haryana but is a part of Uttar Pradesh.

The villagers rue years of "ignorance" by the system for lack of proper connectivity to their village and have announced to boycott the Lok Sabha election.

Khushaal Singh, who owns a motor boat, said he was contacted by the administration for his boat but had to convey its unavailability.

"I told them that its engine is not working and also the boat would be in use because my crops are being cut and that need to be transported from my land on the Noida side on the river to the Haryana side. My labourers are working there and I cannot lend it on April 11," Singh, a resident of Faridabad, told PTI.

Subdivisional Magistrate and in-charge of Transport Department Balram Singh said the administration has now requisitioned a motor boat from another person.

"An official communication has been issued to the boat owner and arrangements are underway. The boat will ply from 6 am to 6 pm on Yamuna on April 11, as stated earlier," he said.

Meanwhile, Dalelpur villagers said they have no official information about the boat and all they have got to know is through the press.

They said they are also not enthused with the one-day facility and are determined to boycott the election.

"It's you who is telling me now that a motor boat has been arranged. Nobody from the administration has informed anyone in the village. Also, we are firm on boycotting the poll, bring they may a boat or a bus. The Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre both are depriving us of roads and electricity, to say the least, and you expect us to get enthused about a boat for election day," Satbir Tyagi, a local, told PTI.

The SDM said there is still time for the polling day and they would reach out to the villagers before that.

"As for their other demands, that is a different matter and would be looked into in detail and accordingly their grievances would be addressed," Singh said.

Dalelpur is home to nearly 250 people where the number of voters has come down from approximately 200 in 2014 to 28 in 2019, with Tyagi claiming "around 90 people here are eligible to vote".