Ganga Bill Needs Modification

1. Ganga Bill Needs Modification Post by: Ravi Chopra Ganga Bill needs to be modified In September 2018 the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR RD&GR) shared a draft bill for the protection and conservation of River Ganga with the fasting Swami Sanand at Matri Sadan, Haridwar. It was an attempt by the GoI to dissuade Swami Sanand from continuing with his fast-unto-death seeking firm action by the GoI for the conservation of the National River Ganga. Swami Sanand carefully reviewed the draft but was deeply disappointed as it did not accept any of the basic principles recognized in earlier draft that Swami Sanand had helped prepare under the aegis of Ganga Mahasabha. He had been campaigning for its immediate adoption by India’s Parliament. Ganga activists from various parts of India met at Matri Sadan on January 19 and 20 and took the following decisions: 1.The National River Ganga is not declared as national symbol under the National Symbols Act. It therefore lacks the legal protection conferred on national icons. Our demand is that like the national tricolor flag, the

2. national bird peacock and the national animal tiger, Gangaji must be recognized as India’s national river under the National Symbols Act. Ganga should also be placed as iconic national symbol as Dolphins and peacock 2.The MoWR draft simply sees Gangaji as a river which sustains a large population. It has not recognized that Gangaji needs protection and conservation because of its unique status as a sacred river. Further, its water does not putrefy even if stored for a long time. A scientific study (2011) by the National Environment Engineering Research Institute, (NEERI), Nagpur reported that the unique non-putrefying character of Gangajal is due to the sediments that Gangaji transports from the High Himalayas. 3.A recent study(2017) by the Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, has revealed that Gangajal has the unique ability to kill pathogens responsible for 17 diseases in humans. The Bill needs to base the protection of Gangaji on such unique characteristics rather than the features common to all rivers.

3. 4.The high-level Council has been proposed in the MoWR draft to ensure the implementation of the Bill’s provisions.It consists mostly of central ministers, chief ministers of Ganga basin states and officials but only three independent experts. Such official bodies have not succeeded in the past in conserving River Ganga. Our demand is that the Ganga Act constitutes an empowered, autonomous statutory body -- like the National Election Commission -- with a majority of independent people who do not hold any government position and who are known for their efforts to conserve Gangaji. Only such an empowered autonomous body can restore Gangaji to its pristine glory. 5.Swami Sanand’s draft had limited the jurisdiction of the apex body referred to above to the six Himalayan headwaters of River Ganga namely the Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Mandakini, Pindar, Dhauli Ganga (W) and Nandakini and the main stem of River Ganga from Devprayag to Ganga Sagar. Given the complete autonomy conferred on the proposed statutory body, this was a tactical decision to minimize potential opposition from the central and state ministers and officials. The MoWR draft applies to the entire Ganga basin in India. This feature denies the primacy of the National River and will weaken executive performance. We call upon all Ganga lovers to impress upon their local M.P.s to ensure that the basic principles in Swami Sanand’s draft are incorporated in any bill for the conservation of River Ganga presented for adoption to the Indian Parliament.