Agra Couple Celebrates Wedding Anniversary In A Drain To Protest Against Authorities

Residents of Nagla Kali, Semri and Rajrai, both in Agra, marked the 17th anniversary of Bhagwan Sharma and Usha Devi unconventionally. The couple celebrated amidst a foul-smelling drain, capturing the moment in photos. This unique act aimed to grab the attention of Agra’s public representatives and officials, highlighting 15 years of issues with dirty water, poor roads and overall cleanliness concerns in the area. As a collective protest, the community decided to hold future celebrations, be it birthdays, anniversaries, or other events, amid the same dirty drain until their concerns were addressed.

Bhagwan Sharma from Nagla Kali, Agra, marked his 17th wedding anniversary with Usha Devi by standing amid murky water, exchanging garlands. The celebration included the presence of fellow colony residents accompanied by a band playing instruments.

Sharma expressed that initially, they had plans to celebrate their wedding anniversary in Lakshadweep or the Maldives. However, due to the neglect of public representatives, inadequate sewer and waste disposal facilities in their area turned the road into a dirty drain, now dubbed “Pushpdeep”. In response to this issue, they chose to protest and commemorate their anniversary amidst this situation.

Unfortunately, due to the negligence of public representatives, the absence of proper sewer and waste disposal facilities turned their area’s road into a dirty drain, now humorously named “Pushpdeep”.

Residents report that Nagla Kali Rajrai, Semri, with a population ranging from 10,000 to 12,000, has faced a dire situation for the past 15 years. The drainage of dirty water, road maintenance, and sanitation have been neglected, resulting in roads filled with sewage water and frequent accidents. Schoolchildren struggle to navigate through the dirty water. Seventeen colonies share this challenging living environment, and despite Baby Rani Maurya serving as the MLA and a state government minister, their pleas have yet to be addressed.

In response to the neglect and in solidarity, the colony residents have united to boycott the Lok Sabha elections. They’ve collectively decided to celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and other significant events amidst the water of the dirty drain. Additionally, they plan to extend this boycott to the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, restricting entry for any public representatives into their area.