Ganga to be 100% clean by March next year: Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari

The Ganga will be "100 percent clean" by March 2020, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Saturday said, and linked it to "good governance".

He was addressing a gathering of the BJP's SC Morcha here.

"In just 10 percent work of the Rs 26,000 crore project currently underway, the Ganga has started getting cleaner. By March this year, 30-40 per cent of the work will be completed and by March next year, Ganga will be 100 per cent clean," he said.

He said he could give a "districtwise, statewise and projectwise" record of the work he had done to clean Ganga.

"Not only the Ganga, but we have also been working on 40 of its tributaries," he said, adding that projects worth Rs 800 crore were also underway to rejuvenate the Yamuna.

He said 20 per cent excess water had been released into the Ganga for its "aviralta" or continuous flow.

He said the river would have "continuous" and "unpolluted" water on its entire stretch by June this year.

"Our dream of a clean Ganga will come true. This is called good governance," the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said.

The Central government approved the 'Namami Gange' program on May 13, 2015 as a comprehensive approach to rejuvenate the Ganga and all its tributaries under one umbrella by consolidating existing ongoing efforts.