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‘People to be involved in clean Ganga movement’

Seeking to transform the Ganga Rejuvenation Project into a public movement, union water resources minister Uma Bharti on Thursday said people from different walks would be involved in the mission to cleanse the polluted holy river and a ‘Ganga Manthan’ is planned for July.

‘A meeting titled ‘Ganga Manthan’ is being planned in July involving environmentalists, saints, scientists, NGOs and those associated with water conservation in the country,’ she told reporters here.

She said the parameters of cleaning the Ganga would be adopted for other rivers, including the Yamuna, and a model would be created for the purpose.

The minister also said a website would be launched for the ambitious project to clean up Ganga.
‘As part our mission to clean up Ganga, we would be soon launching a website where suggestions could be made,’ she said.

Bharti said MPs and MLAs, whose constituencies fall along the banks of Ganga, would also participate in the programme to develop the river.

Pointing out that four union ministries such as shipping, tourism, transport and water resources would work hand-in-hand for the project, she said secretaries of the concerned ministries would coordinate with each other for the project.

Speaking on the issue of Cauvery water dispute, Bharti said her ministry would adhere to the directions of the Supreme Court on the Cauvery river issue as the two riparian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have approached the Centre over the Cauvery Management Board.

‘We will do everything according to the direction of the Supreme Court. We have decided that no injustice would be done to both the states,’ Bharti told reporters here.

Queried whether the Centre has commenced the process of constituting Cauvery Management Board (CMB) according to the directions of the Supreme Court, she said there was no such proposal and everything was under consideration.

‘Actually, the proposal was never here. Everything is under consideration. There was no direction from the Supreme Court,’ she added.

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa had pitched for CMB during her recent meeting with prime minister Narendra Modi but her counterpart of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has opposed CMB.

Karnataka’s contention is that since civil appeals against the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are pending in the Supreme Court, no move should be made to form CMB.

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