Projects for the development of ghats and crematoria along with afforestation work on the stretch of the Ganga river from Haridwar with an estimated cost of Rs2,446 crore have been approved by the Empowered Steering Committee (ESC) of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) as part of the Namami Gange
programme. The ESC also evaluated the detailed project report submitted by the Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute for forestry interventions in Clean Ganga Mission.
According to information released by the Government, the ESC of NGRBA has approved projects for development of Ghats and crematoria along the stretch of Ganga from Haridwar to the inter-state border, Gadhmukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh; Buxar, Hajipur and Sonepur of Bihar; Sahibganj, Rajmahal and Kanhaiya Ghat of Jharkhand and Delhi along with afforestation along the banks of the Ganga.
The total estimated cost of the projects is Rs2,446 crore. Officials state that these projects have been drafted to improve the facilities of Ghats and crematoria for reducing pollution of the Ganga. To be implemented under the centrally sponsored Namami Gange mission, the Government of India would bear 100 per cent costs of the works planned in different States.
In addition to this, the authority’s ESC also appraised the DPR prepared by FRI on forestry interventions for a clean Ganga. The project will focus on augmenting water flow along with reduction of pollutant load in the Ganga through the means of forestry intervention also involving tree and medicinal herb plantations along the banks of the Ganga.
The major project components include implementation of forestry interventions in five States on the banks of Ganga; strengthening knowledge management and national capacity for forestry interventions and conservation of rivers and scaling up and replication of successful models of forestry interventions and riverscape. The estimated cost of the project is Rs2,294 crore for the duration of five years.
It is pertinent to mention here that speaking at a stakeholders meet on forestry interventions held at the FRI last year, the Union minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Uma Bharti had stressed that the effects of forestry interventions for the Clean Ganga Mission should start becoming visible by July 2018.
She stated she wanted to see Uttarakhand develop as a hub of medicinal herbs good enough to replace the products sold as traditional Chinese medicines. Observers point out that the latest approval to projects by the ESC has to be followed by action without delay in order to achieve the target within the time limit set.