Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday directed to set up sewage treatment plants (STPs) at the exit point of all drains that flow into Saraswati river and work towards setting up a power plant on the dam to be built in Adi Badri.
The Chief Minister was presiding over the meeting of the Governing Body of the Saraswati Heritage Development Board here.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister was apprized that to make this river flow, not only will the dam be built but barrage and small reservoirs will also be constructed. This will bring the ground water level up, so that not only will the area come out of the dark zone, but it will also be in the interest of the farmers.
The Chief Minister also took stock of the progress related to the construction of the proposed dam in the Saraswati project and gave necessary directions for setting up a power generation plant with the dam. Along with this, he also asked to settle the pending matters with Himachal Pradesh at the earliest.
He said that since dams are already being constructed, a large power generation plant should be set up to produce as much electricity as possible.
It was informed in the meeting that work is being done to promote tourism at the ghats at Adi Badri and Pipli. A cafeteria has been established in Adi Badri with the assistance of the Tourism Department. Work is also being done to build the riverfront to attract tourists.
The Chief Minister said that everything should be done in a time-bound manner and all works should be completed within the stipulated time.
Khattar was apprized that a plan is being devised to construct an underpass on the National Highway to connect the ghat at Pipli with the zoo to attract tourists. This will be completed soon.
It was also informed that despite STPs being installed in many places, they are not being commissioned and dirty water is being pumped directly into the Saraswati river.
Taking strong cognizance of this, the Chief Minister directed the Public Health Department to monitor the STPs. He also said that in case of STP, the task of fault-finding should also be seen by the officers of the Public Health Department.
The Chief Minister also said that the Board will bear the expenses for the Centre set up under the Chair at Kurukshetra University for research on the Saraswati River.
For this, he asked to earmark Rs 20 lakh annually for the Chair and for research works such as water testing and carbon dating etc.