Taking cognisance of the issues raised by The Pioneer in its campaign on the condition of the river Ganga and Namami Gange project works in Haridwar, the Uttarakhand authorities have taken prompt action. Instructions have been issued to all the districts to take necessary steps to address the shortcomings and fill any gaps found.
The State Mission For Clean Ganga, Namami Gange Uttarakhand programme director Vishal Mishra informed that instructions have been issued by the State administration to all the district magistrates to submit a time-bound action plan within one month. Steps must be taken to fill any gaps like the need for building more Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in any place. Further, all the district magistrates have been asked to put up necessary proposals through the District Ganga Committees (DGCs) and any problems being faced in the implementation of projects will also be taken up in the DGCs.
Meanwhile, taking a serious note of the issues raised by The Pioneer, the Haridwar district magistrate Mayur Dixit has sought a report from Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam’s project manager Meenakshi Mittal and Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan Maintenance branch (Ganga) executive engineer Harish Bansal seeking an explanation for the STPs overflowing in Haridwar. Reports on open defecation by residents of illegal shanties on the banks of the Ganga, overflowing STPs, neglected ghats in dilapidated conditions and abandoned solid waste management work in some Ganga Grams resulting in garbage dumping near the holy river were the issues raised by The Pioneer in its campaign.
