Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti said that the draft of the Ganga Act is ready to be tabled in Parliament. This would enable the Ganga river to flow Rs Aviral’ and Rs Nirmal’ (unbridled and clean). She said Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand who has been undertaking a protest fast since June 22 must end his hunger strike as the draft of Act is ready. The minister averred that by next year the Ganga river will be about 90 per cent clean. However the fasting swami did not budge from observing his self-restraint saying certain provisions which he had demanded in the Act did not exist in the draft. He continued his fast on the 45th day.
Uma Bharati had arrived at Matri Sadan ashram in Jagjeetpur on Friday late night to meet Sanand, who has been demanding ban on hydropower projects and mining on Ganga riverbed in Uttarakhand. The union minister held talks with Swami Sanand for over two hours in the ashram but failed to move the professor turned sanyasi to give up his silent protest.
Bharti said that Ganga Act shall be brought in Parliament in the winter session this year and asserted that the government had already been considering the swami’s demands. She said that in such circumstances, his fasting carried no meaning. On the other hand, Swami Sanand said that certain amendments were necessary in the proposed Ganga Act sans which it had no value. The union minister also facilitated the talks of the seer with union minister for Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari, over the telephone but no solution could be reached.