Organisations to adopt Haridwar Ganga ghats for cleanliness

HARIDWAR : To ensure regular cleaning and maintenance of 17 Ganga ghats in Haridwar, the district administration has come up with an “adopt and maintain policy” for religious, spiritual and social organisations, officials said.

Named “Mera Niji Ghat” (My Own Ghat), applications have been sought from interested religious, social and spiritual organisations and institutions for adopting 17 Ganga ghats within the civic limits of the Haridwar municipal corporation.

According to chief development officer Haridwar Prateek Jain, a committee has been formed by district magistrate Haridwar Vinay Shankar Pandey in this regard.

“Ganga ghats falling under municipal corporation has been earmarked for this adopt and maintain ghats project. The willing applicants are being scrutinised and by the first week of December we will start the contractual procedure with the selected applicants,” said Jain.

Along with cleaning and maintenance, renovation and beautification of the Ganga ghats will also be carried out by the selected organisations or institutions. Religious, spiritual and social organisations which have so far applied include Ganga Sabha, Bhagwan Parshu Ram Dharamshala, Swami Prem Prakash Ashram Trust, Shri Tapovan Panchayati Niranjani Akhada, Shri Akhand Seva Sankalp Sansthan, Mahant Pradeep Singh Sant ashram and Shri Swami Narayan ashram temple.

“Adopting and maintenance of Ganga ghats within in civic periphery is a new initiative which will further ensure round the clock maintenance of Ganga ghats. The interest shown by religious, spiritual, charitable, and social institutions, Akhadas and ashrams is a welcome step,” said municipal corporation town Commissioner Dayanand Saraswati. The annual Ganga canal closure in Haridwar last month for a fortnight had exposed the large amount of pollution, garbage and waste generated in and around Ganga. From the famous Har-ki-ganga ghats to 25 kms away Roorkee, Ganga ghats were littered with heaps of garbage, plastic-polythene material, leftover clothes, religious ritual materials and other waste on Ganga ghats and canal beds.