How is the response to the Yatra?
Wonderful! It has become the largest river conservation campaign. Normally, the government or some NGOs alone conducts such campaigns, but now it has become a mass movement. Thousands of people take part in the Yatra everyday. The prime challenge is to change the mindset of people and in that endevour the Yatra is successful.
What is the main focus in the Yatra?
The main focus is tree-plantation, which too has become a mass movement. Thousands of farmers have pledged to plant fruit bearing trees in their fields. We will grant them subsidy for three years so that they can look after the trees and their loss is compensated. The government land owned by forest and revenue departments has also been identified for tree plantation.
The main source of river pollution is urban sewage being added into the rivers untreated. How are you curbing it?
We shall not allow it now in Madhya Pradesh. We have decided to take the sewage water outside the city through pipelines and it will be supplied for irrigation after treatment. It is because the experiments of installing the STPs on drains have failed. We are installing STPs in 18 cities situated on the bank of the Narmada. Tendering of the STPs has already been done. Apart from it, building of toilets in all the villages situated on the banks of the Narmada is almost over.
What has been done to prevent the immersion of puja material and chemically infected idols into the river?
This Yatra has done a big job of changing the mindset of people. They have themselves decided not to put anything harmful into the river even in the name of religious practices like puja material, plastic lamps, garlands, idols made of PoP etc. Hence, we have decided to build Pujan Kunds at the banks where people can immerse all such things. We also plan to convert that material into organic manure. Now the Narmada abhishek will also be done with the Narmada water only. It is the impact of this Yatra that public is saying all these things in one voice. The change in people’s thinking is a big achievement. Otherwise, earlier people used to be adamant and they were not ready for change.
What about the cremation of dead bodies on the banks of river, as even half burnt or unburnt bodies are flown into the River?
We are building ‘Muktidhams’ for it. Now the entire ash after cremation will not be immersed into the river. Only a handful of ash will be poured and rest will be taken to other place. People are spontaneously taking a pledge for it. We are creating changing cabins for women at the Ghats. Additionally, we are also going to permanently close liquor shops in the radius of 5 km on both sides of the Narmada. There will be no auction of shops there after March. Prohibition is a major component of the Narmada Sewa Yatra. I feel prohibition is not possible forcefully. We need to change the mindset. The campaign will further be taken up all over the State and as the consumption of liquor reduces, we will reduce the number of liquor shops across the State.
The campaign now seems to be emerging as a medium of big social change. How do you look at it?
It is a good indication. People are taking a pledge to allow the birth of daughters and then educate them. They are also pledging to educate every child. Right now the literacy rate in the State is about 70 per cent, we have to make it 100 per cent. Mamleshwar is one among the 12 Jyotirlingas. Apart from it there are many other temples in Omkareshwar. We are going to connect all the big temples through pathway so that devotees could have darshan during the rainy season also when it becomes difficult to cross the river. No doubt, the Narmada Sewa Yatra is now turning into a multi-purpose Yatra and many new things are being added into it.
How did the idea of starting the Yatra click?
In May last year I went to Dindori district to inaugurate a bridge. I felt very sorry to see very little water in the Narmada then. The Narmada is the river, which receives water released by the trees through their roots. As deforestation increased during the last 50-100 years, the water flow into the River also decreased. Narmada The provides us not only drinking water, but also it irrigates lakhs of hectare of land. We have taken the Narmada water through pipelines to the far flung areas. One cannot imagine Madhya Pradesh without the Narmada. If our growth rate is today above 20 per cent, it is because of the Narmada. The major portion of the electricity supplied round the clock in the State comes through the Narmada only. The idea to conserve the river basically clicked in Dindori. Since, no government scheme is successful until people wholeheartedly join it, the Yatra was started to connect the people to it.
When will the projects connected to the Yatra be completed?
Tree-plantation and installation of STPs will be over within two years. We have made provisions in the tender itself that the company which installs them will also maintain them for ten years. Tree plantation has begun symbolically and it will be completed during the rainy season. The farmers will also plant fruit bearing trees then only. I feel we will be able to achieve all the targets in three years. Within three years there will be greenery at both sides of the Narmada. Toilets in every home in the villages on river bank have almost been built. The work of prohibition will begin after March, because we are not going to renew the licences of the liquor shops.
It is alleged that all these activities have been planned keeping in view 2018 polls?
We had drafted ‘Vision 2020’ long back and all these activities are part of that vision document only. Our roadmap is ready. The welfare activities in Madhya Pradesh are continuously going on. We do not need any gimmick.
How is the response from voluntary organisations?
Full cooperation. People from various organisations are joining the activities. Saints are also blessing.
What about illegal mining in the River?
We are taking strict action.
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