PM to continue as chairman of Ganga authority

The Centre has rejected a demand to appoint a full-time chairman of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and instead justified the continuation of the Prime Minister as its head on the ground that the authority had held three meetings since February 2009 to discuss cleaning of the river.

The Centre has rejected a demand to appoint a full-time chairman of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and instead justified the continuation of the Prime Minister as its head on the ground that the authority had held three meetings since February 2009 to discuss cleaning of the river.

In an affidavit before the Supreme Court, the Centre said it has already sanctioned ` 3,040 crore for projects in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand. It had also sanctioned about `200 crore to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for surveillance and monitoring of the water quality.

The affidavit by mission director, NGRBA, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, said a number of initiatives were taken at the three meetings since its formation.