EIGHTH DAY FAST UNTO DEATH to demand end to illegal mining in Ganges. Govt least concerned.

In order to save the pious Ganges from the incessant pollution and increasing illegal and arbitrary massive scale mining on the banks of the Ganges falling under the jurisdiction of Uttarakhand periphery, a septuagenerian Saint of Haridwar, Uttarakhand is on an indefinite hunger strike at Maatra Sadan Ashram in Haridwar demanding immediate ban on illegal or licenced mining leading to gigantic profits to the mining mafia allegedly conducting the business unabatedly in collaboration with those at the administrative and political helm in Uttarakhand.

Today was the eighth day of the saffron clad septuagenerian saint’s fast unto death who is demanding total ban on mining in the Ganges being arbitrarily carried out since long despite infinite protests by the environmentalists, social activists and the regional political parties but of no awail.

According to the saint Gyan Swaroop, the massive and unprecedented mining in the Ganges has resulted in affecting and creating bottlenecks in the smooth and seamless flow of this pious river thus leading to environmental degradation and playing with the natural flow since ages.

It may be recalled that two years ago similarly another prominent saint of Haridwar Swami Nigmanand died after undertaking 74 days hunger strike demanding permanent ban on illegal mining.

In the meanwhile neither the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat nor any of his cabinet colleague or the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has taken note of this indefinite hunger strike of this fasting septuagenerian saint despite the fact that on 27th/ 28th June the veteran RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was in Haridwar in a meeting of all the eminent saffron clad saints convened by him to discuss issues pertaining to cleaning of pious Ganges and matters relating to spiritualism and propagation of their traditional thought process of Hinduism.

The chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat visited Haridwar today to seek the blessings of RSS chief and said on TV cameras that it was merely a courtsey call and nothing else but did’nt get the time to meet the saint on indefinite hunger strike.

While speaking to the scribes saint Gyan Swaroop said that he will not relent and rather prefer to die for the cause of clean Ganga and demanding immediate stoppage to the massive illegal mining in and on the banks of the pious river.

Sounds shocking that despite the prime minister Narendra Modi’s flagship programme of cleansing the Ganges and his special impetus on completing the clean Ganga project at the earliest the political CEO of Uttarakhand or his cabinet colleagues or the RSS chief had no time to visit Matra Sadan and appeal to the fasting saint to give up the 8th day indefinite hunger strike.

It may be recalled that the prime minister Narendra Modi had always been deeply concerned about cleaning the highly polluted Ganga and has even made a separate Ganga Rejuvenation ministry with a whopping budget of about 20000 crores.

Not only this but the previous Congess government led by Harish Rawat also suffered a severe defeat (blow) on account of the government allegedly favouring the mining mafias despite a widespread opposition from the people of the state as well as the BJP which was in the opposition then.

Sources reveal that majority of the mining contracts have allegedly been offered or sanctioned to contractors close to the politicians at the helm or to their near and dear ones’. The mining is so rampant that the natural resources are being extracted at free of cost but being sold for construction activities in and outside the state earning handsome profits thus affecting badly, the seamless flow of the river serving the entire country and its populace for drinking and irrigational purposes.

The moot point is : Would the saint on infinite hunger strike at Matra Sadan, Haridwar meet the same fate as was the fate of Swamy Nigmanand two years ago? A big question mark indeed.