“The Ganga has not been polluted because of untreated water as much as because of wrong planning. Projects being launched under Namami Gange are corrective steps to atone for what has been done over the years to dirty the river,” she said.
The Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said the ambitious scheme of the Centre would not only cleanse the river and maintain its flow, but also ensure that Rs 4,000 crore spent on the river under the Ganga Action Plan in 29 years since 1985 (till 2014) do not go waste.
Announcing that the Centre is mulling passage of a legislation called the Ganga Act in Parliament for the success of Namami Gange programme, Bharti said industries would not just be debarred from dumping untreated waste into the river but treated waste as well would be diverted for irrigation purposes.
The preliminary draft of the Act would be sent to the states for opinion and the final draft would be prepared based on it, she said. Bharti renewed her pledge to begin a Ganga padayatra (foot march) in October to generate awareness among people about the advantages of a clean Ganga and how they could contribute to it.
Director of Namami Gange Rajat Bhargav said the projects launched include expansion of the ghats (river banks), plantation along them, construction of sewage treatment plants and developing adequate civic amenities along the banks of the river.
Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Mahesh Sharma, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and former chief minister and Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank were also present on the occasion.
A total of 231 projects worth Rs 1,500 crore were launched at 100 places across the country under Namami Gange on Thursday.
Bharti said those found dumping industrial waste into the Ganga would be sent to jail.She said the Namami Gange programme would achieve its objective by 2018, but its effects would start getting visible by the end of this year.
Gadkari said by launching 231 projects worth Rs 1,500 crore, Bharti had proved her commitment towards the Ganga, adding that work on 60 sewage treatment plants and 50 other big projects under the mission would commence this year.
Rawat said the Ganga originates from the state and promised total cooperation to the Centre in achieving the objectives of Namami Gange.