Yamuna cruise might negatively impact the livelihood of Vrindavan boatmen

Agra: A walkout against the planned cruise service from Jugal Ghat has been started by boatmen from the Nishad community in the Mathura region of Vrindavan.

Boatmen’s representatives met with Mathura MP Hema Malini at her Omaxe City home to voice their disapproval. They expressed their worries and threatened to abstain from the next Lok Sabha elections if the cruise service negatively affected their ability to make a living.
In response to the concerns expressed by the boatmen, Malini, who was renominated by the BJP from Mathura, promised to take up their complaints.

“To make sure that the interests of the Nishad community and the cruise liner are balanced, I will work with the district administration. She said, “I promise the boatmen that it won’t hinder their job.
In Vrindavan and surrounding places, the Yamuna River is used by more than 400 boats. It has long been customary for members of the Nishad community to take followers on boat trips in the sacred river. It is our duty to vacate the Yamuna ghats. The livelihood of almost 15,000 people in the Nishad community is at stake, boatman Balveer Singh said, emphasizing how dire their circumstances are.
Another boatman, Birpal, bemoaned the effect on rescue efforts and the possible loss of livelihood. He stated, “On Monday, two 60-year-old Haryana ladies, Munni and Shakuntala, were pulled out of deep water near Vrindavan’s Chir Ghat. The launch of the cruise service would deprive pilgrims of these kinds of complimentary rescue services.
Boatman Satyaveer Nishad, in the meantime, reaffirmed the community’s position and said that they would be open to using the cruise service on other routes. “We are not against the cruise service,” he said. Longer journeys may be covered by using it. Boats may reach the ghats and continue to function normally; we want the cruise service to have no negative impact on our way of life. We have not yet gotten any meaningful guarantees from the local government or public officials.
Interestingly, representatives of the UP Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad are still upbeat about the boat service, which would run from Gokul Ghat to Keshi Ghat in Vrindavan, stopping at Vishram Ghat in Mathura. The project, which is backed by the Uttar Pradesh government and approved by the Union environment ministry, would use a public-private partnership (PPP) model and carry 100–150 people.