As a part of the drive to clean Ganga river and its tributaries under Namami Gange project, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal on Thursday inaugurated a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of 25 MlD capacity at village Siwah near Panipat.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that Haryana Government is committed to clean water of river Yamuna and other rivers in the State.
With a view to further intensify the drive, the State Government has also decided to set up another STP in Sector 6, Panipat. Apart from this, construction of 19 similar projects along river Yamuna is in progress in the State. The Government is also setting up such projects along river Ghaggar, said he.
He informed that 231 similar projects across seven States in the country are being inaugurated under Namami Gange initiative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clean Ganga and its tributaries in a time bound manner.
Manohar lal emphasised the need to recognise the significance of water and said that each drop should be utilised to the optimum.
He said that after treating the polluted water in the STP, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) level would be 10 instead of 250-300 and treated water can be utilised for irrigation, industry and others purposes.
The State Government is also preparing schemes under Swachh Haryana. To make the entire State open defecation free (ODF), grants are being given for construction of toilets in rural and urban areas besides spreading awareness among masses about ill effects of open defecation, said he while urging the people to shun the habit of defecating in the open and help the Government to make the State ODF.
He also sought cooperation of the people in cleanliness drive of the Government and added that Government has announced a scheme of Rs 1.26 crore under Swachh Bharat Mission in the State. Under this scheme, a village in a block achieving cleanliness would be rewarded every month with cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Similar competitions would also be conducted among the wards in urban areas. Awards of Rs 50,000 in cash would be given away for wards of Municipal Committees, Rs 1 lakh would be awarded in case of Municipal Council and Rs 2 lakh would be given away in case of Municipal Corporation wards, he said.
This would not only ensure involvement of people in maintaining cleanliness but would also go a long way in inspiring them to take up cleanliness as a way of life, he added.
The Chief Minister said that there is no dearth of funds for development works in the state. The annual outlay of about Rs 69,000 crore has been increased to Rs 88,000 crore in year 2016-17. In this way, each Assembly Constituency would be able to get additional funds of about Rs 200 crore for development purposes in current year. Both the Central and State Governments are quite serious on the issue of cleanliness and we would not allow litter anywhere in the state, said he.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also released a souvenir of Namami Gange. He also laid the foundation stone of remodeling and lining of Nohra Drain from RD 21000 to 34100 in Panipat.