All rivers are a lifeblood for the people and the earth but the Ganges symbolizes so much to so many people. That makes its mismanagement especially painful. Read Ragendra Singh’s letter from Tarun Bharat Sangh’s (TBS) to learn about a new campaign to revitalize it.
All rivers are a lifeblood for the people and the earth but the Ganges symbolizes so much to so many people. That makes its mismanagement especially painful. Read Ragendra Singh’s letter from Tarun Bharat Sangh’s (TBS) to learn about a new campaign to revitalize it.
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Dear friends,
On 4th November 2008 – the Ganga was declared a National River. A National Ganga River Basin Authority was formed and given the responsibility to lay the future direction. As a member of NGRBA, I believe that central govt. & state govt. should learn lessons from their previous failure in the conservation of the River Ganga. She is now a symbol of India’s vibrant heritage, which makes it our duty to remind the new Government of its responsibility towards Mother Ganga.
The P.M. of India said, “...Our country is blessed with mighty rivers that are inextricably linked with our history, our religious beliefs, our culture and customs of our people. It is a matter of great concern, we have not been able to reverse the degradation of this very important natural inheritance.
We have decided to adopt a different and more holistic approach taking the river and not the city as the unit of planning as we have done until now. The essence of this approach is not just to focus on river pollution but more comprehensively on catchment area treatment, protection of flood plains, ensuring ecological flows and restoration of the river ecosystem...”.
Glorious traditions have for long upheld the sacred reverence of our rivers. This was reflected in the customary laws and practices of our people; man and his river shared an inter- dependence for life and livelihoods. Therefore, Ganga ‘Maa’ stood protected by virtue of the very ideals of her worshippers.
Alas! The present scenario is different. It is a pathetic situation of neglect and indifference by the state and society alike. Mother Ganga is exploited, abused and polluted, and moreover she is angry with human intervention… Dams obstruct the natural flow of Ganga and her waters are made to pass through numerous tunnels and pipes thereby affecting her natural beauty. Large deposits of silt have affected the riverbed of Ganga extinction due to submersion and erosion.
We are taking this responsibility voluntarily and planning to form a “Ganga Panchayat” for making NGRBA more responsive and effective. Ganga Panchayat will comprise of people working for restoration of River Ganga.
We are starting this process from 2nd October 2010. In this we will travel across the length of the River Ganga and find the real dedicated people who can devote themselves for Maa Ganga. This would be a democratic process.
We invite you to be the part of this initiative and hope to seek you support.
With best regards,
Rajendra Singh
