New India ready to respond to those threatening its security: Adityanath

Currently, work is underway to construct a 7-kilometer-long channel, he added.

The money spent by the government is not the personal wealth of the CM or ministers, but the hard-earned money of taxpayers, he said.

Adityanath said there was a proposal to build embankments at a cost of Rs 180 crore, questioning how a mud embankment could stop 3 to 3.25 lakh cusecs of water flowing into the river. There was the need to properly channelise the river, use dredgers, and create a clear path to provide a permanent solution to the flood problem, he said.

The CM directed the officials that the work be completed at just Rs 22 crore and not Rs 180 crore and set the completion deadline of June 10. Once the work is done, the floodwaters would no longer threaten Palia, Nighasan or Lakhimpur Kheri and would instead flow smoothly into the Saryu river, he said.

By channelising the Sharda river, water will follow its natural course, safeguarding farmers, crops, homes, and livestock, while minimising loss of life and property, it was claimed.

The CM said that the tourism potential of Lakhimpur Kheri will grow through the Dudhwa National Park and funds have been allocated for building an airport in the district. Steps were being taken to protect the site from flooding by the Suheli river and nearby water bodies, he added.

He pointed out that before 2017, farmers would often waited for up to 10 years to receive their sugarcane payments. “But today, no payment gets delayed for more than one year. Out of 122 sugar mills, 105 are clearing payments within a week. For the remaining 17 mills where delays persist, solutions are being worked out,” he claimed.

To ensure the farmers get their money, the government has set up an escrow account — a joint account where the proceeds from sugar sales will first go directly to farmers before reaching the sugar mill owners, the CM said. “If anyone still tries to cheat, the government will auction the sugar mill to recover the farmers’ dues,” he warned.

Taking a jibe at the Samajwadi Party (SP), the CM said the party during its tenure in government pushed the farmers to suicide, forced the youth to migrate and shielded criminals who posed a threat to the safety of women and traders.

He accused the Congress and the SP of dividing society in the name of caste and trying to demean heroes like Chhatrapati Shivaji and Rana Sanga while glorifying cruel rulers like Aurangzeb and Babur.

About the flood control project, he said once the Sharda river is channelised, around 400 villages, 2.5 lakh people, and 10,000 hectares of land would be protected from floods.