Haridwar MP and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ raised the issue of the condition of ghats along the Ganga river in Haridwar during the zero hour in the lok Sabha on Wednesday. lambasting the Congress-led State Government of Uttarakhand, he said that sand and sediment deposited in the 2013 flood was yet to be cleared from most of the ghats in Haridwar.
The Haridwar MP said, “The problems being faced by pilgrims while taking dip during the ongoing Ardh Kumbh Mela is a matter for serious concern. The Haridwar area attracts visitors on various occasions from across India and abroad due to its religious and spiritual significance including aspects like Yoga.”
“lakhs of people are arriving in Haridwar to gain the merit of taking a dip in the Ganga river during the ongoing Ardh Kumbh Mela. However, due to the carelessness of the State Government, most of the bathing ghats in Haridwar are yet to be cleared of the sand deposited in the 2013 flood. This is hurting the religious sentiments of the devotees apart from which members of the religious fraternity linked to the management of various ghats here are also upset as the State is ignoring their demand for cleaning the ghats,” he said.
Expressing concern while accusing the State Government of neglecting the pilgrims and members of the religious fraternity, the MP further said members of the religious fraternity had been continuing their protest for some time now but the State had failed to take any concrete action towards their demand for cleaning of the ghats. Nishank said, “The State Government’s apathy towards faith of the public and religious aspects during a historical occasion like the Ardh Kumbh is extremely unfortunate.”
The Haridwar MP has asked for the Union Government to direct the Uttarakhand State Government to clean the bathing ghats along the Ganga in Haridwar to prevent public inconvenience and respect sentiments of the religious fraternity. Apart from the pilgrims arriving here, the residents of Haridwar are also suffering due to apathetic attitude of the State Government, added Nishank.