http://www.thegoan.net/details.php?id=32720
Cleaning the Ganga has been a mission for several central governments and none have succeeded. Recently, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati told the media that the process of drafting a law to save the river had hit a road block “ there was a lack of consensus on what can be considered an offence and who should be punished for polluting the river. About 20 lakh people bathe in the river every day. Numerous cremations are held and tonnes of flowers are hurled into this river, considered the holiest in the country and also the dirtiest. The dilemma was well articulated by the minister when she said that, “it shouldn’t be the case that everyone is picked up by the police for leaving flowers or leaves in the river”. The problem however, is more severe than flowers and leaves.
Last month a five-member panel headed by Justice (retd) Girdhar Malviya, which was constituted to draft a law, submitted its report. Bharati said the report has been referred to another set of experts. When former prime minister Manmohan Singh constituted the Malviya committee, it was understood that it was an expert body. With Bharati referring the matter to another set of experts one gets the feeling that this report is going to be tossed around until somebody gets tired and gives it a decent burial or tosses it into the Ganga.
Filth and dirt has accumulated in the Ganga over decades, if not centuries and cleaning it is not going to be easy. We do agree that a legal frame work is necessary to start the process, but three years is a long time and if experts cannot agree on who should be punished for polluting this sacred river it only shows that the Centre is unwilling to take the bull by the tails. The matter is rendered more difficult because the river runs through several states which makes coordination and implementation even more difficult. Direct disposal of sewage into the river is one of the largest problems and until sewerage systems are set up and habits of the 500 million people, who are dependent on this river and also pollute it, are changed, there is no hope.
The Narendra Modi government is close to completing its third year in office and its inability to kick start the process for cleaning the Ganga would be a blot on its report card. One cannot understand the reluctance on the part of the Centre to call a spade a spade. If someone is polluting the river, then that someone needs to be fined or punished. There should be no two opinions on this count, if one is serious about cleaning the river. If some traditions have to be overturned then firm steps will have to be taken because the idea of India’s holiest river being the dirtiest is a very uncomplimentary comment on who we are.
