CM flags off Ganga Yatra
Flagging off the Ganga Yatra from Bijnor, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the Ganga river had always been a part of India’s faith and economy and therefore it was the responsibility of the people and the government to keep the river clean and maintain its flow.
“We have to keep the Ganga river clean and ever-flowing at any cost. If you actually consider Ganga as your mother, then do your duty and brace yourself for making the river clean,” Yogi said during a function held on Monday.
One leg of the Ganga Yatra was launched from Bijnor, where the Ganga river enters Uttar Pradesh.
The chief minister was accompanied by his Uttarakhand counterpart Trivendra Singh Rawat and Union minister Sanjeev Balyan.
The second leg of the Ganga Yatra was flagged off by Governor Anandiben Patel from Ballia, where the holy river leaves the state and enters Bihar. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi was also present on the occasion.
Yogi said that Kanpur was the most sensitive point for the river Ganga. “After crossing Kanpur, the holy river transforms into a drain which hurts both our faith and economy. I took a pledge and made Ganga ever-flowing and clean even in Kanpur,” he said.
The chief minister said that if the river Ganga could be made clean in Kanpur, then all other rivers of the country would become ever-flowing and clean.
“If the Delhi government takes a resolve then Yamuna river can also become ever-flowing and clean,” he said.
Yogi said that the Gangetic plains ranked among the most fertile lands in the world.
“Farmers here are hard-working and because of them, India has achieved new height in agriculture production,” he said.
The chief minister said that there were apprehensions on how Ganga could be made clean and ever-flowing, how the onerous task could be done and what was the state government doing and to answer these questions, he had come to inaugurate the Ganga Yatra.
“The state government is taking every possible step in this direction. You should also make this programme successful by increasing public participation. Prevent dirty drains from falling into Ganga in the cities and villages. If we work with commitment by setting goals, then Ganga will become an example in the country and the world,” he said.
Earlier, state Bharatiya Janata Party president Swatantra Dev Singh said that 40 per cent people of Uttar Pradesh depended on the Ganga river. He said that previous governments only indulged in dacoity.
“For the first time, grand and divine Kumbh Mela was successfully organised in 2019. Flowers were showered on Kanwariyas for the first time. It is for the first time that the Ganga is so clean and ever-flowing during any regime,” Singh said.
Earlier, Yogi performed Ganga aarti at Bijnor barrage in the presence of Union ministers Sanjeev Balyan and VK Singh, UP ministers Suresh Rana, Kapil Dev Aggarwal and Baldev Singh.
The UP government is likely to prepare a documentary film on the first-ever Ganga Yatra and it will be screened for the people to make them aware of the holy river.
Jal Shakti department is organising the Ganga Yatra along with two dozen other departments. The Ganga Yatra will also showcase religious and cultural centres along the route to attract tourism to these places.
Security arrangements have been beefed up for the Ganga Yatra and personnel of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for it.
