Dwaraka Shankaracharya demands law to preserve Ganga

JAMSHEDPUR: Expressing dismay over the Union Government's failure to keep its promise to initiate measures to check pollution and to ensure uninterrupted flow of water in river Ganga, Shankracharya of Dwaraka peeth Swami Swarupanand Sarswati today demanded a law be framed to preserve the 'National River'.

A law should be framed to preserve the river Ganga and it should have a stringent provision to penalize whoever was responsible to pollute it, he told a press conference here.

Seven pro-Ganges activists including two women had observed an indefinite fast in support of the demands for immediate steps to check pollution in the river and uninterrupted flow of water, he said.

Keeping in view the deteriorating health condition of the hunger strikers, Swami Swarupanand said the Prime Minister had conveyed a message through Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal appealing to the agitators to break their fast.

However, the stipulated timeframe has already been expired but no action was initiated as yet, he said.

Swami Swarupanand demanded that the government should initiate urgent steps to check release of industrial and chemical waste in the river, release of adequate water in the river and diversion of sewerage systems.