Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce a new Ganga Action Plan at the first meeting of National Council for Ganga to be held at C S Azad University for Agriculture and Technology here on December 14.
Participants at the meeting would review the extent of improvement in Ganga’s water quality from Gaumukh to Ganga Sagar and also chalk out plans to rejuvenate it . The river’s tributaries, relocation of industrial units and massive plantation would be among major points that would be discussed threadbare in the meeting.
The Prime Minister would be present at the university for nearly four-and-a-half hours during which he would discuss the joint report on the projects carried out under Namami Gange mission.
Chief ministers of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, union ministers Prakash Javdekar, Hardeep Singh Puri and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, seven other central ministers and 21 officials of Central Pollution Control Board and Namami Gange mission would be present at the meeting.
West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee is unlikely to be the part of the meeting as her government has not confirmed her participation . Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das would also not be able to attend as assembly election was underway in his state.
{{/usCountry}}West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee is unlikely to be the part of the meeting as her government has not confirmed her participation . Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das would also not be able to attend as assembly election was underway in his state.
{{/usCountry}}“There will be deliberations on the extent of improvement in water quality in Ganga in the 2017-km-long Gaumukh to Ganga Sagar stretch,” said an official privy to the agenda up for discussion.
“What will be required in future will be discussed and the states from where Ganga flows, will explain their needs and action required. Accordingly, a new action plan will be envisaged,” he said.
Action plans would be chalked out and these would be executed in phases. It would address issues like cleaning of the Ganga tributaries, phase-wise shifting of industries from Ganga vicinity, tapping of all big and small drains and setting up treatment plants in the smaller cities. Maintaining uninterrupted flow of Ganga and commercial use of the river could also be discussed in the meeting.
Jal Shakti minister Shekhawat, who was in Kanpur on Wednesday, in his interaction with the media hinted at the possibility of incorporating the target of ensuring zero discharge into Ganga in the new action plan.
An expert with the national mission for Clean Ganga Rajat Gupta said the mission has indeed alleviated pollution in Ganga considerably.