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New Delhi : Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari on October 30, 2017, reviewed in New Delhi the progress of Sewerage Infrastructure Projects under Namami Gange Programme in the six States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Delhi.
Addressing the meeting, Gadkari reiterated that all the pending projects should take off by December, 2018. Expressing his displeasure over the slow progress of some of the projects, the Minister said delay in file work and tendering process will not be tolerated. He said there is a general perception that nothing is being done in Namami Gange. The Minister asked the officials to change this perception by transparent, corruption free, time bound and quality work, according to a PIB release.
Gadkari said that he believes in giving full freedom to the officials in the execution of projects but at the same time he wants results from them. Loopholes and reasons for delay in the entire process of preparing DPRs, payments to contractors and finalisation of tenders were widely discussed and remedies were suggested at the meeting. The Minister was of the opinion that innovative methods and latest technology should be used for cleaning not only Ganga but its tributaries like Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Ramganga, Kali, Hindon also. “Unless these rivers are also cleaned, we cannot fulfil the dream of ‘Nirmal & Aviral Ganga,” the Minister added, according to the PIB release.
Altogether 97 towns (Class I to Class VI) are situated along main stem of River Ganga. Necessary sewerage management interventions have been taken up in 55 towns requiring no further interventions.