The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the BJP government for its failure in coming up with a plan to clean the river Ganga. “Are you saving the Holy River?” the SC began the hearing on Wednesday by asking Centre’s counsel.
When the Solicitor General asked for two more weeks because a new ministry has been formed and transfers of officers and other work is still being done, the SC bench headed by Justice Thakur observed: “You are showing no urgency in this matter. But only in other matters.”
Cleaning up of Ganga was one of Narendra Modi’s pet promises in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls. The temple town of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, from where the PM was elected, is on the banks of Ganga. The NDA government, in a first, instituted a ministry under Uma Bharti dedicated to the Holy River.
But the SC was far from pleased on Wednesday. “Some issues that ought to be on the back burner are being put out on the front burner,” the SC bench observed. The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to provide by September 3 a road map, a status report and details of steps that will be taken to save the river.