First Swamy Nigmanand and then Swamy Swarupanand ! Will these sacrifices be really honoured? Would Ganga be cleaned ?

Sounds completely irrational, callous and unjustifiable that on the one hand the government of India talks so much about cleaning the Ganges, (which is of course highly appreciable) by way of allocating over twenty thousand crores in phases on the other hand, a seer and a crusader fighting for saving the Ganges from the illegal miners demanding ban on mining and hydro power projects on the banks of the Ganga to ensure its regular and smooth flow is allowed to die and the minister of the environment, the secretary environment and even the chief minister of the state do not find time to know about his environmental concern n the health of Ganga including his own who’d been on fast unto death for the last 111 days at Matri Sadan Ashram Haridwar finally letting him die of Cardiac arrest due to various serious complications, particularly after he gave up consuming water a day or two before his tragic death.

The union government and the prime minister Narendra Modi had been appreciably, personally taking keen interest in the clean Ganga and rejuvenation plan since he came to power at the centre and had also specifically created a separate ministry for the cleaning and rejuvenation of the Ganga which was his long cherished dream.

The previous minister of the Water resources and Ganga rejuvenation ministry, saffron clad Uma Bharati was shunted out from the cabinet during the last reshuffle for not being serious on clean Ganga mission.

In addition to this, the prime minister Narendra Modi and union minister Nitin Gadkari had been making several announcements about the save Ganga mission’s success and introduction of several waterways, improvement in Ghats, installation of sewer treatment plants, closing of polluting factories along the Ganges and cleaning of the Ganges in a phased manner etc to the people of the country and also enhancing the budget from the initial five thousand crores to 20 thousand crores.

But it sounds anguishing and shocking that despite so much of its concentration on cleansing of the Ganges and allocation of such a huge budget not only has the previous Congress and BJP governments have allegedly given affidavits in the Apex court through the union environment ministry in favour of large dams in Uttarakhand thus effecting the health of the free and smoothly flowing rivers but will also in the due course lead to eruption/ occurance of massive ecological disasters.

Above all, the precious life of the crusader to save the pious Ganges which has now become excessively polluted, could not be saved unambiguously showing the callous and indifferent attitude of the union environment ministry and the concerned minister in not responding to his demands and health issues.

First the death of merely 34 year old Swamy Nigmanand Saraswati in 2011 in Uttarakhand after 115 days of fast unto death and thereafter the death of a professor of IIT n member secretary, Central Pollution Control Board turned saint due to the 112 days protest fast demanding ban on hydropower projects and mining in and on the banks of the Ganges to keep it clean, smooth in flow and healthy have indeed shed a doubt on the integrity and earnestness of the authorities concerned as well as the NDA government towards the noble cause of clean Ganga.

It may be recalled that late Swamy Gyan swaroopanand had thrice been on protracted hunger strikes in 2009 and 2014 demanding scrapping of the two big dams in Uttarakhand in which the government had to finally relent and cancell viz 380 megawatt capacity Bhairon ghati power project n 480 megawat Pala Maneri project . In 2014 too he undertook 115 days hunger strike against the governments inactivity in the National Ganga River Basin Authority. Similarly late Swamy Nigmanand too undertook 67 days hunger strike at Haridwar in 2007 for end to mining and excavation of natutal resources from the Ganges.

What’s your take friends?