The movement demanding a separate municipal corporation for the areas situated across the Arpa river in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, has gained massive momentum. There is an insistent demand to carve out Sarakanda and its surrounding localities from the existing Bilaspur Municipal Corporation and establish a brand new municipal body. Pressurizing the authorities for this exact cause, Amit Tiwari has been sitting on an indefinite hunger strike for the past five days. According to the claims made by the activist, he has completely given up food and water, which is causing his health to deteriorate rapidly and leading to severe physical weakness. Despite this critical situation, neither the administrative machinery nor any public representatives have stepped forward to initiate any concrete dialogue or corrective steps. Protesters emphasize that while population density and the number of wards in the region across the Arpa have grown significantly under the current civic administration setup, the area has failed to receive adequate developmental projects and basic infrastructure suited to its needs.
Decades-Old Demand and Unfulfilled Electoral Promises
The campaign seeking an independent municipal corporation for the region across the Arpa is not a recent development. Citing information shared by Devendra Mishra, an active participant in the agitation, the demand to establish a separate urban body for Sarakanda and the trans-Arpa localities dates back nearly twenty-five to thirty years. Throughout this extended timeline, residents and various local collectives have staged numerous protests, demonstrations, and public rallies. He further points out that during the preceding assembly elections, the local MLA had formally included the creation of a separate municipal corporation in their official manifesto. However, despite nearly three years having elapsed since that time, no substantial paperwork or administrative action has been initiated in this direction, fueling widespread public resentment.
The Deteriorating Health of the Fasting Activist and Administrative Apathy
Amit Tiwari maintains that his hunger strike advocating for a separate municipal corporation for the trans-Arpa area has successfully entered its fifth consecutive day without interruption. He has firmly declared that he will not call off his fast until the core demand is fully met. Mentioning the toll taken by abstaining entirely from food and water, he highlighted that his physical condition is worsening due to severe exhaustion. He has levelled serious accusations against the authorities, stating that neither the local administration has checked on his well-being nor have elected representatives taken the ongoing agitation with the seriousness it warrants, leaving citizens frustrated with the administrative silence.
Presence of a Zonal Office but Complete Lack of Basic Facilities
Protesters point out that although a zonal office was established within the trans-Arpa territory, the local residents have derived virtually no expected benefit from its operations. Illustrating their plight with a specific example, they noted that citizens are forced to cross the Arpa river and travel to the distant headquarters of the municipal corporation on the other side just to secure a basic utility like a water tanker. Their core question is that when ordinary people are compelled to endure such heavy hardships for trivial day-to-day facilities, how can the holistic and balanced development of the entire region ever be achieved.
Citing the Severe Waterlogging During Recent Heavy Rains
Organizers of the protest highlighted the severe difficulties witnessed during the recent spell of heavy rainfall as a prime example of administrative neglect. They explained that following hours of continuous downpours, residents of the Sarakanda neighborhood had to grapple with massive waterlogging and allied civic troubles. Their core argument is that if a separate municipal corporation is sanctioned specifically for the trans-Arpa sector, localized planning can be formulated to execute development works tailored precisely to the urgent requirements of the inhabitants.
Twenty-Four Out of Seventy Wards Situated Across the River
Ajay Kapse pointed out that following the expansion of the Bilaspur Municipal Corporation, the total count of wards currently stands at seventy, out of which nearly twenty-four wards alone fall within Sarakanda and the region across the Arpa river. He stressed that while the local populace regularly pays various taxes and revenues to the municipal corporation, the corresponding share of developmental expenditure fails to reach them. He argued that the formation of an independent urban body would ensure that the funds allocated for this zone are utilized in a far more effective and targeted manner for local infrastructure.
Demand to Encompass Territory from Sendri up to Mopka and Lagra
Protesters stated that a newly minted municipal corporation can be successfully constituted by incorporating the vast territory stretching from Sendri all the way to Mopka and Lagra. They asserted that this entire geographic belt possesses sufficient population density, land area, and underlying infrastructure to function as a robust independent entity. Establishing a separate municipal body would grant local residents the direct opportunity to voice their demands regarding drinking water, paved roads, drainage networks, sanitation, and other essential public amenities directly at the level of their local government.
Vow to Continue the Struggle Until the Demand is Met
Participants in the agitation reiterated that the push for an independent municipal corporation is not merely the personal agenda of any single individual or organization, but a vital issue tied directly to the progress of the entire trans-Arpa community. They have urgently appealed to the government and the district administration to take immediate cognizance of the failing health of Amit Tiwari on an indefinite hunger strike and set the formal process of creating a separate municipal body into motion without further delay. As things stand, Amit Tiwari's hunger strike remains firmly underway into its fifth day.
