In its bid to clean Ganga and develop its ghats, the NDA government on Monday announced series of measures including setting up of "Ganga Vahini" a unit which would protect Ganga's ghats across the length of river.
The government has also decided to focus on drains that are polluting Ganga by proposing to ban discharge of even the treated waste water into the Ganga river and instead encourage its use for irrigational purposes or by industries.
Union water resources, Ganga rejuvenation and river development minister Uma Bharati also announced adoption of Sabarmati river front model in Gujarat for developing ghats of Ganga river.
"We are focusing on drains. There are about 140 drains between Gangotri and Ganga Sagar, which are polluting the river. There are also certain adjoining rivers that have become like drains. We will first take this up," said Bharati at the fourth meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which came after nearly three years.
Bharati, while revealing about reconstituting of NGRBA with new experts members, said nearly all the "short-term and long term clean up measures of Ganga will kick off in next 45 days."
While talking about Ganga Vahini, she said, "a national volunteer force called Ganga Vahini will be set up on the pattern of the Red Cross which will comprise youth, students, ex-servicemen and others … it would protect the river and spread the message of Ganga rejuvenation across India."
RR Mishra, who is director of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, shed more light on Ganga Vahini.
"Ganga Vahini would be at district and even block levels. It would be headed by the district magistrate and would comprise of local volunteers, ex-servicemen, people from territorial army, members of NGOs and others," said Mishra while adding that thus total number of people in Ganga Vahini would easily go in thousands and even lakhs.
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