Dr. Shakti Kumar Pandey
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wants Ganga Aarti to be held at about 1,100 places in UP, including Varanasi and Prayagraj.
For this, the Yogi government is going to build 1,038 new aarti platforms on the banks of holy Ganga river from Bijnor to Ballia, making them places of religious tourism. A total of 1,038 villages situated on both sides of the holy river Ganga have been selected as the new aarti sites under the “Namami Gange” project.
According to an official statement released here on Saturday, the new aarti sites will be constructed on both sides of the villages in a radius of 5 kilometres of the river Ganga from Bijnor to Ballia. The Ganga aarti will take place on the basis of public participation and will be performed at a fixed time every day. Earlier, in December, during a meeting of the Jal Shakti Department with officials of other departments, instructions were given to develop ancient and historical religious places and temples in these villages.
Starting with Bijnor, this series of aarti will continue till the last village of UP situated on the banks of the river Ganga in Ballia. By linking Ganga aarti with villages and towns, the Yogi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government wants to make “Ganga Swachhta Abhiyan” the biggest mass campaign.
Through this campaign, the state government wants to further strengthen the attachment among the younger generation towards their culture, especially the river Ganga. Yogi Adityanath is leaving no efforts for the cleanliness of the river Ganga. His government has given more momentum to the “Ganga Swachhta Abhiyan”.
The government is now going to construct sewage treatment plants in 14 more districts soon. After the start of the new STPs, there will be a total of 41 districts having sewage treatment plants in UP. As many as 62 sewage treatment plants will be made ready in different areas of the state and will be connected with the drive to make Ganga and other rivers clean. According to the Namami Gange Department, the capacity of 62 STPs under construction will be 1522.12 MLD (millions litres per day).
At present, 104 STPs are operating in the state having a total capacity of 3298.84 MLD. After the new STP, the Jal Shakti Department will be successful in stopping a large number of drains and contaminated water from falling in the river Ganga.
