The petitioner said that agents of the municipal corporation were taking bath and washing vehicles using the tap installed outside a toilet complex on the banks of the river Ganga in Rishikesh.
Tag: Ganga river
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‘He can do anything for votes before polls’: Mamata Banerjee on PM Modi’s dip in river Ganga
By PTI
PANAJI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembers the Ganga river, which is regarded as the “mai” (mother) by lakhs, only during elections to get votes, a day after he took a ritualistic dip in the holy river before inaugurating the Kashi Vishwanath Dham (KVD) in Varanasi.
Addressing a public meeting at Assnora village in North Goa on the last day of her two-day visit to Goa, the TMC supremo said the prime minister can do anything to get votes and recalled his visit to Uttarakhand for performing “tapasya” (meditation).
She also alleged that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh made the Ganga river “impure by throwing unclaimed bodies of COVID-19 victims”.
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Banerjee said around 23 lakh people visit Gangasgar in West Bengal to participate in the Gangasagar mela like the Kumbh congregation.
“But we don’t worship the Ganga river only during the time of elections. During the election time, Modi ji went and took a dip in the Ganga river,” she said in an apparent reference to the PM’s visit to Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, on Monday for inaugurating the KVD which houses the world-famous Kashi Vishwanath temple Banerjee said PM Modi took a dip in the Ganga river “only to get votes.”
“He can do anything to get votes. He had gone to Uttarakhand and performed tapasya. We have no objection to it. Let him do whatever he wants to. He has freedom (to do whatever he wants) but where were you during the entire year?” she asked.
The swipe at PM Modi came in reference to his visit to a cave near the Kedarnath temple where he had spent a day meditating after the election campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, which the BJP won.
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The West Bengal chief minister accused the Yogi Adityanath government in UP of throwing unclaimed bodies of the COVID-19 victims in the Ganga river.
“They have made the Gangamai (mother Ganga) ‘apavitra’ (impure). We call the Ganga water pure. We call the river our mother. But the BJP has thrown COVID-19 dead bodies in the Ganga river. We don’t like it,” she said.
Banerjee, who is projecting herself as the opposition pivot to take on the BJP and whose party is contesting the maiden assembly elections in Goa, was livid at the “Bengali party” tag assigned to the TMC.
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“They say we are Bengalis, (but) who are they? They are Gujaratis. Did we ever say that he is a Gujarati and he should not come here? If Gujaratis can go anywhere in the entire country, why can’t Bengalis go? If a Bengali can write the National Anthem, can’t he come to Goa?” she questioned.
Banerjee said Mahatma Gandhi was seen as the leader of the entire nation and not of any state.
“We don’t think which part of the country he belonged to. A true leader should take the country together,” she commented.
The West Bengal chief minister said that “Goa will not be run from Gujarat or Delhi but Goans will run their state.”
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Society needs to think cleaning Ganga is its responsibility not just government’s job: Jal Shakti minister
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The society needs to consider cleaning the Ganga river as its responsibility and not see it as just the government’s job, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Wednesday.
Addressing the valedictory function of the Ganga Utsav, he said everyone should think of themselves as the custodian of the environment.
“We have the role of custodian of this environment. We need to make it better and pass on to the next generation and not deteriorate it further. The society needs to think that cleaning the Ganga river is its responsibility and not just the government’s job,” he said.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju said a lot of work towards cleaning the Ganga needs to be done. “In the next three to four years, I am confident that the clean Ganga mission will be successful. As an Indian, I believe rejuvenating and cleaning the Ganga is the most crucial programme in the country.
“Namami Gange (National Mission for Clean Ganga) is not just general government work but a mission and the work done under it inspires us,” he said.
The government celebrated the three-day ‘Ganga Utsav-The River Festival 2021’ with a focus on encouraging stakeholder engagement and public participation towards the rejuvenation of the Ganga river.
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Ganga heavily polluted with microplastics, highest concentration in Varanasi, claims study
Express News Service
NEW DELHI: A new study has found that Ganga water is heavily polluted with microplastics of multiple kinds and the highest concentration was found at Varanasi.The study titled, ‘Quantitative analysis of Microplastics along River Ganga’ released by NGO Toxics Link on Thursday revealed the presence of microplastics in all samples collected from the river at Haridwar, Kanpur, and Varanasi.
Microplastics are defined as plastics less than 5 mm in length and recognized as a major source of marine pollution of significant concern, due to their persistence, ubiquity, and toxic potential. The plastic products and waste materials released or dumped in the river break down and are eventually reduced to Microparticles and the river finally transports significantly large quantities downstream into the ocean which is the ultimate sink of all plastics being used by humans.
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“Essentially all along microplastics are flowing into the river system. It does reflect or suggest a direct linkage between the poor state of both solid and liquid waste management; hence it is critically important to initiate steps to remediate it, said Priti Mahesh, Chief Coordinator at Toxics Link.
The river water testing was carried out in collaboration with the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa and a set of five water samples were collected from the river at Haridwar, Kanpur, and Varanasi. The samples were tested through FTIR to identify the exact type or resin core and the results show the presence of significantly high (40) different kinds of polymers as microplastics in Ganga waters.
Among the three cities, Varanasi showed the maximum load of microplastics in the Ganga waters as compared to the other two cities. The results indicate greater microplastic pollution in the downstream river, from Haridwar to Varanasi. Microbeads were observed in Varanasi and Kanpur, while no beads were found in Haridwar.
Microplastic pollution in the Ganga can have many ramifications, as its water is used for various purposes which can lead to severe impacts on the environment as well as human health. The river is the major source of drinking water for cities situated along its banks and microplastics pollution is a cause of concern.
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Ganga, Bhagirathi rivers cross danger mark in Uttarakhand after incessant rains
By Express News Service
DEHRADUN: Ganga and Bhagirathi rivers in Uttarakhand crossed the danger mark on Saturday following three days of incessant rains especially in the hills prompting authorities to sound an alert and evacuate villages along their banks.The Ganga exceeded the danger level in both Haridwar and Rishikesh while Bhagirathi crossed the danger mark at Devprayag in Tehri district.
The Ganga in Haridwar was flowing at 294.1 metres, 0.10 metres above its danger mark, according to the data on the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) website.
The Ganga exceeded the danger level in Rishikesh and was flowing four centimetres above it, CWC Superintending Engineer Rajesh Kumar said.
Triveni ghat which was evacuated on Friday is inundated, Kumar said.
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The Bhagirathi at Devprayag in Tehri district was flowing at 465.0 metres, two metres above the danger level at 463.0 metres and showed a rising trend, the CWC website said.
The residents of villages on the banks of the rivers are being moved to shelters run by the district administrations concerned and other safe locations, officials said.
Heavy rains have lashed various parts of Uttarakhand over the last three days with Chamoli receiving 142 mm of rainfall on Saturday followed by Karnaprayag with 136 mm, Sri Nagar in Pauri district 128 mm, Rudraprayag 103.8 mm, Joshimath 97.2 mm and Rishikesh 53 mm.
The Alaknanda river in Chamoli district was flowing two metres below the danger mark while Pindar river was flowing 1.5 metres below the danger level in Karnaprayag, Chamoli District Disaster Management office said.
Landslides triggered by heavy rains in the district also blocked three national highways and 84 motor roads with mounds of rubble.
Twenty-seven stranded people including women and children between Mona Cheda and Nalgaon in Chamoli district were rescued and brought to Narayanbagad late on Friday night.
The Badrinath National Highway is blocked at two places between Pipalkoti and Badrinath and the Gwaldam National Highway between Tharali and Karnaprayag, District Disaster Management Centre at Gopeshwar said.
The Gwaldam highway links Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand.
The Gairsain highway was also blocked between Simly and Adi Badri, it said.
Pithoragarh in Kumaon region has also been lashed by heavy rains with the main link road to Haldwani and Tanakpur markets besides around 22 major rural roads closed, District Disaster Management officer of Pithoragarh Bhupender Singh Mahar said.
In Almora, several key motor roads including that which link the district with Haldwani have been closed due to landslides on the way.
“Besides closure of roads, several villages in the district also complained of disruption of power supply,” Almora’s District Disaster Management Officer Rakesh Joshi said.
Samna-Liti road in Kapkot block of Bageshwar district has also been blocked due to a tree collapsing on the road.
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Plea in SC seeks constitution of 3-tier committee to ensure dignified disposal of bodies
By PTI
NEW DELHI: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre and other authorities to form a committee to ensure dignified disposal of bodies of COVID-19 victims while referring to recent reports of floating corpses in the river Ganga in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.The plea has sought directions for constituting a three-tier committee at the central, state and panchayat, and the rural and municipality levels to look after the disposal of the bodies.
Petitioner Vineet Jindal has claimed in his plea that disposal of bodies of COVID-19 victims in rivers could have a devastating effect on the drinking water supply of people residing in cities and villages situated on the river banks, and there is an apprehension of transmission of diseases as well.
It is respectfully submitted that the dead bodies of COVID-19 affected persons are being buried on the banks of rivers.
Sand covering the bodies is blown away by strong winds, exposing the decomposing bodies, said the plea filed through advocate Raj Kishor Choudhary.
The petition has arrayed the Centre, the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and the pollution control boards of these two states as respondents.
It has sought a direction to the authorities to remove all such bodies and restore the ecology of the riverbeds.
The plea has also sought to declare the Ganga riverbed an ecologically sensitive area and hence, be protected and preserved.
It said that directions should be given to the authorities concerned to provide safe drinking water to people living near river banks so that they do not use contaminated water.
The plea has sought directions to the authorities to immediately take appropriate steps to either conduct door-to-door COVID-19 test or organise medical camps for tests in such areas where bodies were found along the river banks so that infection may not spread to others.
It has also sought directions for taking appropriate steps to vaccinate people residing adjacent to the river banks of the Ganga.
The plea said many poor people do not have the resources for a proper burial and the authorities should be directed to take strict action against those who charge money in the name of performing last rites at crematoriums and graveyards.
It said that in order to ensure that dignity is upheld during handling of bodies, the cremation/burial ground staff must be sensitised about proper handling of the body.
The plea said necessary safety equipment and facilities should be provided to the staff at cremation and burial grounds so that they can perform their duties efficiently and without any fear or risk.
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Bodies wash up on shores of river Ganga in UP’s Ghazipur
By ANI
GHAZIPUR: People living near the banks of the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur once again witnessed the ghastly sight of dead bodies washing up on the ghats of the river on Saturday.Similar scenes were witnessed on Tuesday in the same area, a day after bodies of suspected Covid patients washed up on banks of Ganga in Bihar’s Buxar district.
Residents of Ghazipur, mortified over the incident, have expressed concerns over the spread of diseases and the stench coming from the bloated bodies.
“The sight was ghastly, corpses were floating from all directions and were getting stuck on the ghats. People were getting really terrified and the smell is getting worse,” said Akhand, a local.
“After looking at the condition of the bodies, it seemed like they have been floating for a while, maybe four to five days. It is possible that they came from the Chandoauli side,” he added.
Bodies were also found buried in the sand in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district on Thursday, near the river.
Incidents such as these have sparked fears about the scale of the Covid crisis in the country, especially in rural areas. Authorities believe the relatives of those who succumbed to the virus, may not have been able to find space for the last rites.
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Human corpses float, pile up at Ganga bank, this time in Uttar Pradesh
By ANI
NEW DELHI: A day after bodies of suspected Covid patients washed up on banks of Ganga in Bihar’s Buxar, some unidentified corpses were found floating in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.The local administration has initiated the probe.
“Our officers are present on the spot to investigate and ascertain where they came from. A probe into the matter is underway,” MP Singh, Ghazipur’s District Magistrate told ANI.
The local people, traumatised by the sight of floating human bodies in the Ganga, fear spreading of diseases in the area, which has not been spared by the ravaging Covid pandemic.
They complained of stench coming from the bloated, decomposed corpses and accused the authorities of ineptitude.
“We informed the administration about the matter, but no action has been taken by them. If the situation continues like this, there is fear of us getting infected by Coronavirus,” Akhand, a resident, told ANI.
The incident of floating and piling up of corpses in Bihar sparked fears about the scale of the Covid crisis in the country. Authorities believe the relatives of those succumbed to the virus, may not have been able to find space for the last rites.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday termed the incident as “unfortunate” and asked concerned states to take immediate cognizance.
“The incident of corpses found floating in Ganga in Buxar region of Bihar is unfortunate. This is definitely a matter of investigation. The Modi government is committed to the cleanliness ‘mother’ Ganga. This incident is unexpected. The concerned states should take immediate cognizance in this regard,” Shekhawat tweeted.
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Water to all Bihar agriculture lands within five years: Sanjay Kumar Jha
Express News Service
ATNA: “Bihar will herald another green revolution within 5 years”, claimed minister of water resource Sanjay K Jha, adding that the government will provide water to every agriculture land in next five years.Sanjay Kumar Jha made the announcement in the Assembly on Tuesday. “With this task accomplished under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar, Bihar will be certainly able to herald a new round of Green Revolution”, he claimed. Jha presented the budgetary demand of Rs 4,074.38 crore of his department for the financial year 2021-22.
“If CM Nitish Kumar ji has promised the people of the state to provide water to every agriculture land, it will be fulfilled in the next five years and will lead to a Green Revolution”, he said. In Bihar, out of a total area of about 93.60 lakh hectares, 56.03 lakh hectare land is in agriculture which receive irrigation from different sources.
Besides this, he said that the government is also constructing the state’s first rubber-dam to ensure the availability of water in the Phalgu River near the Vishnupad temple in Gaya city, where people from India and abroad gather in large numbers for charity.
Sanjay Kumar also informed that the water resource department has prepared a website and mobile app namely the ‘Irrigation Nishchay’.
“A survey is also being carried out across the state for completing the water irrigation project to every agriculture land. And the survey team comprises of officials from five departments including water resources, minor irrigation, agriculture, panchayat raj and energy”, he said.
He said that Ganga water through pipeline will be supplied in the four cities of historical, tourism and religious importance — namely Rajgir, Bodh Gaya, Gaya and Nawada.
“For this, 148.77 km pipeline will be laid under the Ganga Water Lift Scheme. Out of this, 65.72 km pipeline has been laid, which is about 48 percent of the project”, he said.
In the first phase, the Ganga water will be purified and supplied to Rajgir, Bodh Gaya and Gaya through the pipeline by September 2021 while Nawada would be covered in the second phase. Elaborating further, Jha said that the water from Ganga would be deposited in various artificial reservoirs during the four months of the monsoon and later supplied by the pipeline.