The Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti said that, “Tributaries of the Ganga are being destroyed by dams in Uttarakhand. Wrong comprehension of development by the Governments and the lack of devotion to the Ganga are the major factors responsible for its deteriorated condition and that of the other major rivers in the nation.”
The ecology of the Himalayas is being damaged by works undertaken in the name of development. She said that a committee will be formed to review the benefits and detrimental aspects of various Government projects. This committee will also include experts to represent the developmental and religious aspects of the issues. Inclusion of such experts in the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and ensuring efficient functioning of the authority are among the measures to be taken in the near future.
Bharti said that considerable difference is being observed when comparing the promises and claims to the ground reality which needs to be studied and improved to ensure that the benefit of development reaches even the last intended beneficiary.
Speaking at the meeting of Divya Prem Sewa Mission workers at Haridwar on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra on Sunday, the Union Minister said that her Ganga Samagra campaign aimed at making the Ganga free flowing, perennial and pollution free had started from the Divya Prem Sewa Mission which is why she had first visited this centre.
Addressing the mission workers on the occasion, Bharti said that she was not opposed to development and her stance towards development remains unchanged at the present.
"Our only demand is to ensure a free and perennial flow. We want to ensure the continued existence of the forests, land and water resources while facilitating development while also ensuring that the form of the Ganga is kept intact. Affluents from towns, settlements and industrial enterprises established on the banks of the Ganga are being dumped into this river which has increased pollution levels in this river to alarming proportions," she said.
The Union Minister also said that by executing projects in the name of development, the Government is assaulting the religious faith of the masses. The wrong understanding of development and diminishing faith of the people in the Ganga are responsible for the deteriorating state of the Ganga and other prominent rivers across the nation.
"The fragile ecology of the Himalayas is being destroyed in the name of development be it Uttarakhand or Arunachal Pradesh. The dangers of such imbalance are being ignored. The tributaries of the Ganga in Uttarakhand are being dammed and destroyed in the name of development which is also affecting the quality of Ganga water," she added.
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and current MP from Haridwar, Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', activists and BJP workers were also among those present on the occasion.