Union minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti said that trash skimmers will be deployed soon in Bengal for solid waste management.
Addressing a meeting of the senior officials of her Ministry and Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) at Farakka on Wednesday, she reiterated that the states will be given appropriate funds to ensure that the target to clean Ganga is achieved. Bharti assured her full support to the Bengal government on the issue of Ganges erosion.
She announced that fish ladders, which aid fish in their migration upstream to spawn, would be installed in the Farakka Barrage. Issues such as silt management, tourism potential of the area that could generate employment and ensuring adequate water flow to promote inland waterways in the state were also discussed in the meeting.
The union Water Resources minister, who is on the 2,500 km Ganga Nirikshan Abhiyan, has concluded the first leg of her Abhiyan in Bengal. During her tour in the state, the minister took part in Ganga Arti at Vaishnav ghat in Kolkata where she urged the gathering to participate selflessly in cleaning the river as people's participation is indispensable for the task to be successful.
On the second day of the Abhiyan, the minister inspected ghat cleaning work in Kakdweep at Ganga Sagar. She also interacted with local government officials, local dwellers and other stakeholders during the inspection. Ganga Chaupals were organised at two locations on May 27 — Ganga Sagar and Diamond Harbour. On both the occasions the minister interacted with local communities and listened to their concerns. She assured people that adequate arrangements for toilets will be made at Ganga Sagar.
Bharti addressed people and officials at Konnagar in Hoogly during the Ganga Chaupal. Apart from informing the people about various ongoing and planned schemes and projects under Namami Gange programme, she requested them to contribute in the cleanliness of Ganges by refraining from polluting the river. A similar interactive programme was organised in Nabadwip in Ganga Sagar.
The minister will start the second leg of the abhiyan from Sultanganj, Bhagalpur from Thursday.