The Uttarakhand high court has directed the Haridwar Municipal Corporation (HMC) to construct at least 300 toilets along the ghats of Ganga in Har Ki Pauri area within six months owing to the rush of pilgrims at each ghat.
The court also ordered the civic body to make arrangements of at least 100 changing rooms for women pilgrims,and install 72 CCTV cameras at the ghats within a month.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma also issued directions for cleaning the ghats “every three hours”. The court was hearing a PIL filed by one Narendra, a resident of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, pointing out the “unhygienic conditions” at the ghats in Haridwar’s Har Ki Pauri. The court will next hear the petition on December 21.
“The commissioner, Haridwar municipal corporation, shall be personally liable to implement this order with the assistance of the police,” the court said.
“We direct the irrigation department, Haridwar, to provide sufficient land for construction of the toilets. The senior most official of the HMC shall hold a meeting with the superintending engineers of the irrigation departments of UP and Uttarakhand within 48 hours. The land shall also be transferred within.. 15 days to the HMC,” the order added.
The court directed the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan through its executive engineer (sewerage unit) to render all assistance to the HMC to ensure that sewerage pipes are not opened directly into the river.
{{/usCountry}}The court directed the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan through its executive engineer (sewerage unit) to render all assistance to the HMC to ensure that sewerage pipes are not opened directly into the river.
{{/usCountry}}The HC also ordered the chief secretary to make available sufficient funds for executing its directions to the HMC as well as Peyjal Nigam as per the needs.
The court made it clear that “all the directions issued by this court shall be implemented and shall not be affected by model code of conduct...respondents shall file the action taken report on or before the next date of listing”.
Ganga ghats, what’s been done so far
Lalit Narain Mishra Commissioner, HMC and Krishna Kumar Rastogi, Superintending Engineer, Peyjal Nigam, Haridwar, who were present in the court apprised the HC about compliance of its earlier directions.
-16 CCTV cameras installed. Tenders called for installing 72 more cameras to ensure ghats are not littered and cleanliness is maintained
-24 stray cattle captured from ‘Kusha Ghat’ and lodged at ‘Nandi Shala’ cow shelter
-25 changing rooms installed, 10 under construction and five more donated by Punjabi Maha Sabha
-71 toilets operational at the ghats
-15 encroachments removed from ‘Nai Sauta’
-74% work on installation of a pumping station and treatment plant completed to treat untreated sewerage being emptied into the river by the Kassaban nallah