As Gyan Swaroop Sanand entered his 80th day of fast unto death on Sunday demanding action for maintaining quality, uninterrupted flow, cleanliness and natural form of Ganga river and formation of one new apt law to save the Ganga, he declared that if his demands are not met by the Government till October 9 (Ashwin Amavasya), he would “leave his body” by abstaining from drinking water too.
The scientist turned monk alleged that till date there was no positive initiative undertaken by the Government towards protection of the Ganga. He had started his self restraint by restricting his diet to lemon water on Ganga Dussehra on June 22 and would refrain from drinking even water from October 10.
Sanand had demanded that the parliament immediately pass a special legislation for the Ganga. In case of non –viability of immediate passing of bill, he had asked that the Government should promulgate an ordinance to give effect to the proposed legislation. Besides, checks should be imposed on illegal mining of sand and other materials from the Ganga riverbed, he said.
The ascetic had demanded that hydro power projects and construction works along Alaknanda, Mandakini, Pinder, Dhauliganga, Bhagirathi and Nandakini rivers must be stopped.
He alleged that the chief engineers and other officials in the Ganga board have not devotion for the Ganga. Only the devoted faithful people must be officiating in the board so that they do not tolerate any kind of damage to the Ganga in any form, he said.
Notably the former IIT-Kanpur professor, currently Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand had made headlines when he sat on hunger strike, demanding uninterrupted water flow in the Bhagirathi between Gangotri and Uttarkashi, resulting in suspension of the Loharinag Pala Hydropower Project in 2009. He had undertaken protest at Matri Sadan in Haridwar earlier too on the issue but this time, his supporters complain that prime minister Narendra Modi, who has professed devotion to the Ganga too has not responded to the demands.
A month ago the union minister for Drinking Water, Uma Bharti had assured Sanand that the bill on Ganga was ready to be tabled in Parliament to ensure unbridled and clean water flowing in the Ganga. She had asked the monk to end his hunger strike since the draft of Act was ready but he did not relent. Sanand alleged that certain provisions which he had demanded in the Act did not exist in the draft.
Uma Bharti had said that Ganga Act shall be brought in Parliament in the winter session this year and asserted that the Government had been already considering his demands. Bharti also facilitated the talks of the protesting monk with union minister for Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari, over the phone but no solution could be reached.
It is pertinent to mention here that during his long hunger strike of 80 days, the monk was also forcefully lifted from Matri Sadan and admitted to AIIMS, Rishikesh by team of district administration and released after some days.