Uma Bharti Union minister of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation has said the implementation of the Ganga cleaning project `Namami Gange ‘ and the irrigation projects would now pick up speed as the new government has taken over in UP.
Uma Bharti said that the Centre would prefer that all the projects under Namami gange are executed by the UP government and the Centre would also help the state to obtain loan of Rs 7,000 crore from the National bank for rural development (NABARD). Uma Bharti was in lucknow on Saturday and had a two hour long meeting with the chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting Uma Bharti accused the previous Samajwadi party government of creating obstacles in the implementation of the Ganga river cleaning project and spreading the lie that the Centre was not issuing the `no objection certificate’ (NOC) for the execution of the project.
“Azam Khan had spread the lie that we has not issued the NOC, that fact is that the UP government had stopped the execution of the project’’ said Uma Bharti. She said her ministry would give financial assistance for the Gomti river front project, but the estimated cost of the project is exorbitant and no work has been done for controlling the pollution ion the river.
“I would prefer that the Ganga cleaning project is implemented by the UP government as the process in centre is very cumbersome and the project execution is covered by the guidelines of the Central vigilance commission’’. She said National Green Tribunal had also stayed the implementation of the Namami Gange project and the case is listed on April 11 and the UP government will make submission before the tribunal. “I told the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath that if the detailed project report for the Ganga project is made available to her ministry by May 15next then her ministry would arrange the required capital for the project from the NABARD’’, said Uma Bharti adding `` chief minister immediately instructed the officials to make a detailed presentation of the project before him within one week’’. She also said that Yogi Adityanath is very serious for the implementation of the Ganga river cleaning project which also includes the river Yamuna, Ramganga, Kali and Gomti. Uma Bharti said besides the Ganga project detailed discussions were held about the implementation of the pending and incomplete irrigation projects in UP particularly in Bundelkhand region and the problem of the drinking water in Bundelkhand. She said solving the drinking water problem in Bundelkhand and other parts of the country is one of the top priorities of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union minister said the BJP was committed for establishing the `Bundelkhand Vikas parishad’ for accelerating the development of the region. ``BJP has won all the 19 assembly seats in Bundelkahnd. The BJP is serious for the creation of Bundelkahnd as separate state as the party has always supported idea of small states ’’, she said. Uma Bharti said the issue of creation of new state of Bundelkhand would be placed when the State reorganisation commission is constituted. She however said ``Bundelkhand region is divided in two states UP and Madhya Pradesh and people of MP are not interested for separate state and until the geographical boundary of the new state are not decided it’s difficult to move forward for the creation of new state’’.
Asked whether she discussed the issue of Ram temple with Yogi Adityanath, she said `` we don’t need to discuss this issue as both of us are not stranger to the issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya. Mahant Avaidyanath the Guru of Yogi Adityanath and his grand Guru Mahant Digvijay nath were the doyens of the Ram temple movement’’. She added: “Ram temple is not an issue of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Ayodhya is only located in UP’’. She however added: “I am willing to be handed for the Ram temple as it’s an issue of faith not related to the nation state’’