Will take 10 years to completely clean the Ganga, says Uma Bharti

She adds once the Ganga is cleaned, mass awareness will be needed to maintain its cleanliness

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti on Sunday said it will take 10 years to completely clean the Ganga, and that it would be done in a phased manner.

"In order to ensure clean Ganga, the industrial units which are located on the banks of Ganga will be shifted to other places. The framework of this plan has been drawn. The Uttar Pradesh government is making efforts to shift the tanneries located in Kanpur to other places," said Bharti, who was in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh, to participate in Ganga Dashera celebrations.

She also said once the Ganga is cleaned, mass awareness will be needed to maintain its cleanliness, for which she will herself undertake a 'padyatra' from Gangotri to Ganga Sagar.