The Centre will enact a law for permanent protection of river Ganga from pollution as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched for an “uncompromising mission-mode approach” to stop its further pollution.
The decision to enact the law was taken at a meeting here chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, two other States through which Ganga flows, did not attend the meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority. The act is necessary for maintenance of the river after it is made “pollution free”, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati told reporters while briefing on the meeting.
“Ganga can be made pollution free with the joint efforts of State Governments and the Centre. But, the challenge is maintaining its cleanliness thereafter. The upcoming act will ensure the cleanliness of Ganga,” she added.
“We have sought proposals from concerned state governments for the purpose, as water is the state subject,” she said, while states have also urged the Prime Minister to send the draft proposal of the proposed law.
Asked about the absence of Yadav and Banerjee, Bharati said the Prime Minister's Office had said that the concerned Chief Ministers can attend or send their notes for the meeting as no other representative on their behalf can participate. “All are united for any plan for freeing river Ganga from pollution,” she added.