Ganga Bill Need Modification

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Ganga Bill Needs Modification
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Post by Ravi Chopra
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Ganga Bill needs to be modified

• In September 2018 the Union Ministry of Water
  Resources, River Development and Ganga
  Rejuvenation (MoWR RDGR) shared a draft bill for
  the protection and conservation of River Ganga
  with the fasting Swami Sanand at MatriSadan,
  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 Sanandcarefully 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 Indias Parliament.
  Ganga activists from various parts of India met
  at MatriSadan on January 19 and 20 and took the
  following decisions

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The National River Ganga is not declared as
national symbol under the National SymbolsAct. It
therefore lacks the legal protection conferred on
national icons. Our demand is that like the
national tricolor flag, the national bird peacock
and the national animaltiger, Gangaji must be
recognized as Indias national river under the
National SymbolsAct.
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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. Ascientific
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.
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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.
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The high-level Council has beenproposed in the
MoWR draft to ensure the implementation of the
Bills 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
autonomousbody can restore Gangaji to its
pristine glory.
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Swami Sanands 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.
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We calluponallGanga lovers to impress upon their
local M.P.s to ensure that the basic principles
in SwamiSanands draft are incorporated in any
bill for the conservation of River Ganga
presented for adoption to the Indian Parliament.