SP members Bishambhar Nishad and Ashok Chandel raised the issue during the Zero Hour and alleged that people in Banda district of the region were forced drink to pond water while the government was sitting on proposals to install hand pumps.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma rejected the allegations and claimed every possible measure had been taken in the region to provide succour to the people. He added the government had installed 4,682 new hand pumps in the seven drought-hit districts of Bundelkhand while re-boring has been completed for 6,591 failed hand pump in the region. The SP members walked out of the House after their demand for an adjournment notice was rejected by the Chair. 

Wednesday was the day of walkouts and protests by the Opposition parties from the state Assembly.

During the Question Hour, Congress MLAs staged a walkout protesting state government’s refusal to re-introduce the leave encashment policy for the benefit of the state employees.

Following which, BJP MLAs protested against the issue of Below Poverty Line cards. Thereafter, RLD members walked out of the House protesting the treasury bench’s non-committal reply over the payment of arrears to sugar cane farmers.

Replying to a question on leave encashment, Verma said there was no proposal to re-introduce the leave encashment for the state employees due to cash crunch.

He added the state government will have to incur recurring expenditure of Rs 845 crore annually for the scheme and if it was implemented, several development works will have to be shelved.

Replying to another question, state Miniter for Food and Civil Supply Ram Prasad Choudhury said a new survey of BPL beneficiaries was underway and will be completed by March 31 next.

He said at present the Centre has sanctioned food grains for Rs 1.06 crore BPL families and if, after the survey, the number increases the state government will seek more allocation. The minister denied any reports of deaths due to starvation in the state even as SP leader Mohammad Azam Khan claimed that one death was reported from Rampur.