Bahraich, March 26 -- Taking a dig at previous regimes, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday alleged that politics before 2017 was dominated by dynastic interests. He questioned why those championing the PDA (Pichda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) cause had ignored the plight of Bharthapur villagers, many of whom belong to those PDA communities, including the Tharu tribe. Adityanath made the remarks while addressing a public gathering at Semrahna village as he transferred Rs. 1.63 crore to 136 displaced families of Bharthapur village under the Chief Minister's Housing Scheme with a single click for their rehabilitation from the core area of the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS), which is also a tiger reserve. Rehabilitation would significantly reduce human-wildlife conflict, the chief minister said. He added that a comprehensive plan is being prepared to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the relocated families. The new colony will be named "Bharatpur." The chief minister described Bahraich as a land associated with Maharishi Balark and Maharaja Suheldev. He stated that the spirit with which Suheldev defeated foreign invaders continues to inspire generations even today. He emphasised that his government is working to bring residents of Bharthapur into the mainstream of development. "These people were neglected by previous governments," he said. He said nine villagers lost their lives when a boat capsized in the Kaudiyala river on October 29, 2025 while they were returning from a market. He noted that the incident exposed the extreme hardship faced by the villagers, who lived amid dense forests surrounded by threats from wild animals such as tigers, leopards, elephants, and pythons, as well as aquatic dangers, like crocodiles and gharials. The chief minister said he immediately directed officials to relocate the residents to a safer location. He highlighted that, coinciding with Navratri, the government has begun providing homes to all affected families under the housing scheme without any discrimination. He directed the district administration to develop a well-planned residential colony at Semrahna in Motipur for the displaced families. The colony will include a school, anganwadi centre, cement concrete roads, a park, LED streetlights, water supply, and a ration shop, for which funds have already been allocated. Each family has been allotted 748 square feet of land under the housing scheme, the chief minister said. He also informed that displaced families had earlier received Rs.15 lakh each as a rehabilitation package, along with compensation amounting to Rs.21.56 crore for their assets. The chief minister directed officials to expedite construction so that the houses are ready for Grah Pravesh (house-warming ceremony) during the Sharadiya Navratri in October. The chief minister further remarked that while earlier an atmosphere of fear prevailed during festivals, there is now a vibrant festive spirit, with devotees arriving for darshan from across India and even neighbouring Nepal. Highlighting infrastructure development, the chief minister mentioned the recently approved four-lane Bahraich-Barabanki highway project, which is expected to reduce travel time to Lucknow....