With the installation of CNG on all the boats in Varanasi, boatmen say their incomes have risen by almost 10 times in the last few years.
Sonu Nishad, a boatman said, "My forefathers used to sail boats at Assi Ghat. Almost 1.5 lakh family members are dependent on this profession. Earlier, it was really difficult to make ends meet, but now over the last few years our incomes have risen by almost 10 times. Due to regular cleaning at all the ghats in Varanasi and renovation of temples, several tourists are visiting the temple town."
Chandan Sahni, another boatman, said, "I have been working as a boatman for the past 10 years. Since the BJP government came to power in UP and at the Centre, there has been a lot changes in Varanasi. The number of boats with each person has increased from two to four. With the installation of CNG, it has benefitted us and helped us in increasing our income."
He further added, "We will vote for Yogi Adityanath because we are happy with the government."
Nishad said, "Earlier, the cleaning at all the ghats used to happen once in a day. Now it is happening four times a day. All the 84 ghats are equipped with CNG boats."
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor