New Delhi: Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti on Wednesday said that the government will take time to clean the Ganga river.


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“You all expect to clean Ganga in six months something which could not be done in the last many years. This is unfair. Cleanliness process will take time,” Bharti said.


“We will never play with the sentiments of people or the nature. We have done our preparations and in some years you will get clean Ganga,” she added.


However, the minister refused to comment on observations made by the Supreme Court on the Ganga river on Wednesday.


The SC on Wednesday slammed the Centre on the issue of Ganga cleaning project and sought details on the status of various Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) that were being set up to prevent the untreated effluent from flowing into the Ganga river.


The apex court also asked if the Modi government intended to complete the task of cleaning the Ganga in its present term and keep the issue alive.


In response to this, the government has told the apex court that cleaning of Ganga river will be completed by 2018.


The Supreme Court observed that over Rs 2000 crore has been spent in the last 30 years on cleaning of Ganga. It also inquired about the status of over 4000 sq km of area between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi which has to be declared as an eco-sensitive zone.


The court gave the government six weeks' time to furnish the details sought by it.


Over 100 bodies were recovered from river Ganga in Unnao district and Bharti said the ministry has dispatched its teams for further investigation. The minister also said that her ministry has asked the UP government to submit a report on dead bodies recovered from the river in Unnao district.


Also, the UP government has ordered probe in the 100 odd human corpses found in a canal which connects Periyar Ghat to Ganga river in Unnao.


(With Agency inputs)