The king and queen of Sweden arrived in the State on Thursday. They visited Rishikesh and attended the inauguration of a sewerage treatment plant at Sarai in Haridwar before leaving for the Corbett national park.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and queen Silvia of Sweden, Union minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and the State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj were present at the inauguration of the 14 MLD capacity STP built at a cost of Rs 41.40 crore in Haridwar.
Speaking on the occasion, the Swedish king expressed his happiness at arriving in Uttarakhand. He remarked that there is considerable potential in India and its citizens. Appreciating the efforts being undertaken to conserve the Ganga river, he expressed hope that environmental conservation efforts in India will achieve the desired results. Welcoming the king and queen of Sweden, Union minister Shekhawat said that the Ganga irrigates 32 per cent of India’s geographical area and provides means of livelihood to about 42 per cent of India’s population.
Stating that Namami Gange programme was yielding good results, he stressed on the need for proper waste management for ecological balance and healthy citizens. Of the 34 STP projects started in Uttarakhand, 23 have been completed, he added. CM Rawat, while welcoming the Swedish king and queen to Uttarakhand, spoke about Namami Gange, adding that the Union government is undertaking serious efforts to conserve aquatic fauna. He also stressed on the need stopping the pollution of Ganga caused by chemicals used in farms. Appealing for the cooperation of general public in keeping rivers clean, the CM said that by stopping the use of single user plastic all should work towards making the state and nation clean. Earlier, the king and queen of Sweden arrived at Dehradun airport in the morning where they were received by the state’s protocol minister Dhan Singh Rawat.
They then went to Rishikesh where they visited the famous Ram Jhula bridge, Ganga Mata temple and the bathing ghat along the Ganga. Later, after the Haridwar function, the duo left for the Lansdowne forest division in Corbett tiger landscape.
From there they first reached Kalagarh and from there they reached the Corbett guest house in Dhela. They are slated to rest for the night in Dhela after which on Friday, they are scheduled to tour Corbett national park along with wildlife experts.