New Delhi, 14 November (HS). Various important projects were approved in the 58th Executive Committee meeting of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). An ambitious project for environmental flow assessment of Chambal, Son, Damodar and Tons rivers and conservation of Ganga River Dolphin has been approved.
The meeting was presided over by Rajiv Kumar Mittal, Director General of National Clean Ganga Mission. These projects aim to take important steps towards the conservation of river Ganga and its aquatic life.
According to the Jal Shakti Ministry, the environmental flow related project, made with an estimated budget of Rs 11 crore, also aims to prepare hydrological and hydrodynamic models. The estimated budget of ‘Advanced Rescue System for the Safety of Stranded Ganga River Dolphins’ is Rs 1 crore. The objective is to develop a special rescue vehicle, the ‘Dolphin Ambulance’, to assist dolphins in distress. The meeting also approved a project for the conservation of endangered turtles in the Ganga basin in Uttar Pradesh.
Rehabilitation of 50 MLD STP (million liter per day septage treatment plant) at Keorapukur, Kolkata has been approved with a revised budget of Rs 114.27 crore, up from the initial Rs 67.06 crore. An important step has been taken by granting revised approval to the Integrated Septage Treatment Plant project at Bardhaman, West Bengal. The project has now been given a revised budget of Rs 10.35 crore, increased from Rs 6.46 crore.
During the meeting, the proposal for the third season of the travelogue series ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga – Ek Jeevan Dhara’ was approved. This new season will present the importance of Ganga and conservation efforts from a new perspective.
Richa Mishra, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Nalin Srivastava, Deputy Director General of NMCG, ED (Technical) Anup Kumar Srivastava, ED (Administration) SP Vashishtha, ED (Finance) were present in the meeting. Bhaskar Dasgupta and Nandini Ghosh, Project Director, SPMG West Bengal were present.
