E-Paper
Ganga activist on fast unto death in Haridwar gets support from Magsaysay awardee
Observing a day-long fast at his residence in Alwar, Rajasthan; Singh, the waterman of India, urged the public to observe a similar non-violent protest to extend their support to the seer’s agitation.
Rajendra Singh, an acclaimed environmentalist and Ramon Magsaysay awardee, has supported the fast-unto-death agitation of Matri Sadan ashram seer Swami Shivanand Saraswati for saving the Ganges, Yamuna and its sub-tributaries from pollution and related man-made ecological disasters.
Observing a day-long fast at his residence in Alwar, Rajasthan; Singh, the waterman of India, urged the public to observe a similar non-violent protest to extend their support to the seer’s agitation.
“Support is pouring in from across the country. On Monday, people from all walks of life observed the fast. I urge the government to address this important issue on a priority basis and meet the demands raised by the revered Matri Sadan saint,” said Singh.
Earlier in January, Singh had organised a two-day Ganga Environment Conservation convention at Matri Sadan under the aegis of Tarun Bharat Sangh.
“We regard the Ganges as a deity and mother. We need to preserve the river’s sanctity, purity, unhindered flow, and ecology. The rise in pollutants, haphazard construction of hydropower projects, operation of stone crushers, largescale quarrying and indifferent attitude of the government doesn’t augur well for the Ganges,” Singh had said.
Swami Shivanand Saraswati, the founder of Matri Sadan ashram in Haridwar, is on an indefinite fast since August 3.
The seer has demanded the scrapping of all hydropower projects on the Ganges, Yamuna and its sub-tributaries, prohibition on quarrying on the rivers’ bed, enactment of the Ganga Act, and the inclusion of environmental activists in its drafting panel, among others.
