Rampur: Uttar Pradesh minister Mohammad Azam Khan today blamed successive governments in Uttarakhand for pollution in river Ganga, accusing them of intentionally overlooking illegal quarrying along the banks of the river.
"The sand mafias are being permitted to extract sand and stone from river banks," Azam said here, accusing the administration in the hill state of being hand in gloves with the sand mafia and industrialists.
He also accused the state of not releasing adequate water in the river from its reservoirs.
The governments, he alleged, overlooked the environmental concerns and gave a free hand to corporate houses for setting up units in the state.
On Rahul Gandhi's recent elevation as the Congress vice president, Azam said the Amethi MP is all-in-all in his party as well as the government.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2013, 18:29