Ganga conservation on anvil

State cabinet meet focuses on river pollution:

In an unprecedented move the council of ministers of the state held a special meeting at Malviya Dweep, Har-ki-Pauri, on the last date of the Kumbh 2010. Prior to the meet all ministers led by the chief minister, Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank, took a holy dip at Brahm Kund. The meeting was held to draw attention that how can Ganga retain her purity and her mythological signification. After the meeting the chief minister said that the state govt. favoured "World Heritage" status for the Ganga and they would soon write to the prime minister, urging him to take steps to make the United Nations accord the "World Heritage" status to the holy river.

"The huge congregation of devotees from 140 countries of the world during the Kumbh has clearly demonstrated that the river deserves the said status." The cabinet also decided to constitute an autonomous body, the Ganga Action Authority, for the conservation of the river.

The Ganga Nirmal Yojna, with a time bound programme of five years. This yojana will be launched to ensure cleaning of the Ganga from Gaumukh to Haridwar. It will also include the cleaning and conservation of all the tributaries of the Ganga, the permanent tapping of all the drains at Muni-ki-Reti, Swargashram, Rishikesh and Haridwar to make the river completely free from the discharge of all effluents. The cabinet also decided to spruce up infrastructure for the Char Dham Yatra as well as at other destinations of pilgrimage, such as Hem Kund Sahib, Panch Kedar, Panchwati, Jageshwar Dham and Piran Kaliyar.