Mathura: Union Water Resource Minister Uma Bharti has said the River Ganga rejuvenation programme would not be successful without cleaning up of river Yamuna.
Speaking to media persons at Sant Vijay Kaushal Maharaj ashram on the banks of river Yamuna in Vrindavan yesterday, the Minister said that even if the programme is called River Ganga rejuvenation project, cleaning up of river Yamuna will also be included in it.
She was in Vrindavan to pay obeisance at the Bankey Bihari temple.
The government has plans to rejuvenate both the rivers, Bharti said, adding the country will prosper only when the two rivers are made pollution-free.
The Minister said a `Ganga Manthan` meeting will be held in New Delhi on July 7 to discuss plans for rejuvenation of Rivers Ganga and Yamuna.
Several environmentalists, social workers, river water project analysts, lawmakers and officials of related Ministries will be participating in the meeting, Bharti said.
Whatever suggestions are drawn from the meeting, will be used to formulate a river clean-up project, she said, adding, that it is the duty of every citizen to ensure that rivers are kept clean and pollution-free and thus the common man should support the government in this project.
Noting that tanneries in Kanpur and other such cities dump polluted water into Ganga, Gadkari said inflow of polluted water must be stopped to ensure a clean Ganga and suggestions have come for recycling of polluted water and using it in agriculture, industry and gardens of that area.
"If we had to take the estimated cost of this entire project, it would take Rs 80,000 crore. Government does not have so much money. We suggested to Uma Bharti that 25-30 per cent of that money will be paid through viability gap, 70 per cent people will invest through PPP model and after cleaning the water after recycling, they will sell that water," he said.
Giving an overview of the plans for development of river Ganga as a major tourism destination, Tourism and Culture minister Shripada Yasso Naik said tourist spots will be developed all along the banks of Ganga from Gangotri to Ganga Sagar.
Naik also said that his ministry is exploring the possibility of introducing shikaras on Ganga.
The Ganga Manthan dialogue will have four different sessions on "Ganga and Sanskriti" (for spiritual leaders), "Public Participation for Ganga" (for public representatives and administrators), "Aviral and Nirmal Ganga" (for NGOs and environmentalists) and "Comprehensive and Sustainable Solutions" (for Academicians & Technocrats).
