Clean Godavari and only then hold Kumbh mela: Conservationist

NASHIK: A noted water conservationist has said the Kumbh mela, slated here in 2015, should not be held unless the entire Godavari river is cleaned.

Conservationist Dr Rajendra Sinh, while interacting with reporters here last evening, demanded to file criminal cases against concerned officers of Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) for their alleged involvement in corruption in the 'underground drainage scheme' where funds worth Rs 270 crore were wasted, which he claimed led to pollution in Godavari.

Sinh expressed dissatisfaction over the cleaning drive of the river and said that NMC is responsible to keep the river clean and till it is not done, it would be wrong to hold the Kumbh mela here.

While the Centre is in a hurry to clear the Food Security Bill, there is a need to have a 'Water Security Act' too in the country, he suggested.

There are many water reservoirs in Maharashtra, but due to lack of proper planning, water is getting wasted, Sinh said while urging the state government to rethink its water policy.