Environment Ministry told to probe pollution in Ganga

The Union Environment Ministry has been asked by the PMO to probe the reasons behind increasing pollution in river Ganga, taking note of a complaint by an environmental scientist.

"The PMO has asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to probe the reasons of increasing pollution level in Ganga despite thousands of crores of money being spent on cleaning the river," said BD Tripathi, a member of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).

Tripathi, who is from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), had last month sent a letter to the Prime Minister and Chairperson of NGRBA to draw their attention towards the condition of the sacred river in Varanasi.

"Taking serious note of the letter, the PMO has given a quick response by forwarding it and asking the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest to probe various schemes being run for the cleaning of Ganga," Tripathi told PTI.

"A letter sent by PMO has been received by me on Wednesday," he added.

In the letter, Tripathi had alleged that there was a lack of will power and non-coordination among the authorities concerned to implement schemes meant for the cleaning of the river.

Tripathi had urged for constituting a separate expert committee to probe the cleaning works and also demanded that accountability be fixed for all expenditures on the pollution control and conservation of Ganga.

The environmentalist claimed nearly Rs 1,500 crore had been spent on Ganga Action Plan aimed at cleaning the river.

He claimed that nearly Rs 2,600 crore was being spent by World Bank for the same purpose.