The concerns voiced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding his constituency Varanasi and the holy river Ganga flowing through has prompted the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav, to start a project to clean the river through a series of high level meetings with experts.
Yadav, held a meeting with river specialist, Professor U.K.Chaudhary to get a grip of the problems of river Ganga.
Chaudhary apprised Yadav of the gravity of the problems afflicting the river.
"I told him (Akhilesh Yadav) that you have to take steps to save Varna(name of a bank of the Ganges) and Assi(name of a river bank) and suggested technology for it and told him that if they are not saved, Banaras will have to bear the brunt of it. He assured that atleast seven kilometers of the river that passes by will be looked after", said Choudhary.
He informed that the half-moon shaped river Ganga has mud on one bank and sand on the other, which together maintain the river's form but the accumulation of sand on tortoise
sanctuary is posing as a hazardous stretch for the holy river causing great harm to Varanasi.
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The constant deposition of sand here as well has reduced the width of the river which could be catastrophic for the town and the people living here.
The pollution of the river Ganga has been a major concern for environmentalists and Hindu ascetics as well who regard the river as holy.
Chaudhary credited Modi for the present measures being taken, as his research had not been considered seriously until the interest shown by the present newly formed government at the centre under Modi.
"I believe that Modi government's fondness for the Ganga is showing itself everywhere. Definitely, we got to see the impact of Modiji because my theory wasn't considered seriously since 2000-01. Today everyone is after this, they want to save the Ganges," he said.
In 1986 the Ganga Action Plan was set up under the Rajiv Gandhi administration to clean the polluted Ganga. But despite the millions of rupees spent in the project, the efforts literally went down the drain.
In 2009 again, the National Ganga River Basin Authority was set up, of which the Prime Minister himself was Chairman. A loan of Rs. 2600 crore was taken from the World Bank to launch several schemes to clean the river but the Ganga is getting more polluted as the days go by.
Many hope that PM Modi will ensure stringent steps to save the ailing Ganga, a holy river for most Indians who worship it as goddess and mother, and a lifeline to many others.
