‘Discharge of pollutants in Ganga to stop completely’

VARANASI: After a brief halt for the night in Varanasi, the Ganga Yatra left for Prayagraj via Mirzapur on Wednesday. The yatra was flagged off from Ballia on January 27.
Ganga Yatra, which arrived in the city on Tuesday, moved from Assi Ghat to Ramnagar Ghat under the security cover of NDRF personnel.
Addressing a public meeting at Prabhu Narayan Singh Government Inter College, Ramnagar on the occasion, UP urban development minister Ashutosh Tandon claimed that the discharge of pollutants, including toxic industrial waste and sewage in the Ganga would be stopped completely with the completion of 52 STPs in UP.The plan to develop villages along Ganga for promotion of tourism is also being worked on, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, UP minister Moti Singh appreciated chief minister Yogi Adityanath for taking out Ganga Yatra to spread awareness among the masses. The economy of the Gangetic basin largely depends on the health of Ganga, he said and called upon the people to make the river pollution-free. The meeting was also addressed by MLC Dr Laxman Acharya. Several ministers and MLAs, including Anil Rajbhar, Neelkanth Tiwari, Ravindra Jaiswal, Girish Yadav, Saurabh Srivastava, Surendra Narayan Singh, Sushil Singh were also present on the occasion.
The Ganga Yatra arrived in Varanasi on the second day on Tuesday. A public meeting was held at Bhaisasur Ghat in the evening, which was addressed by Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Mahendra Nath Pandey, UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, and other UP ministers, including Ashutosh Tandon, Surya Pratap Shahi, Anil Rajbhar and others.