New Delhi: The 51st meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) held under the chairmanship of G. Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), here on Thursday, approved seven projects worth approximately Rs 285 crore.
The meeting was attended by S.P. Vashishtha, Executive Director (Admin.), NMCG, Bhaskar Dasgupta, Executive Director (Finance), NMCG, D.P. Mathuria, Executive Director (Technical), NMCG, Naveen Srivastava, Deputy Director General, NMCG, and Richa Misra, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, along with senior officials from the concerned states.
For sewerage management, three projects were sanctioned – two in West Bengal and one in Uttarakhand. These include a 13.8 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) with co-treatment of 18.52 KLD septage and allied works at an estimated cost of Rs. 92.83 crore to prevent the untreated discharge into River Jalangi in Krishnanagar Municipal Town. The other project involves integrated Septage Management for Bansberia Municipality by establishing a 15 KLD capacity Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP). Another FSTP of 50 KLD was approved at a total cost of Rs. 12.65 crore in Bahadrabad, Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
The EC also approved the extension of the Composite Ecological Task Force (Ganga Task Force) to continue assisting the rejuvenation of River Ganga. Additionally, the addition of one company of the Territorial Army to the GTF was approved for the rejuvenation of River Gomti, a tributary of River Ganga. The total cost of the project is Rs. 134.86 crore. The GTF will undertake activities such as afforestation, patrolling of sensitive river areas for biodiversity protection, patrolling along river banks by boats and on foot, patrolling of ghats, monitoring of river pollution, management of public awareness/participation campaigns, and assistance during floods/natural calamities in the region.
The project related to “Fish stock enhancement, including Hilsa, and livelihood improvement for sustainable fisheries and conservation in River Ganga,” implemented by ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) under the Namami Gange Programme, was extended and expanded at an estimated cost of Rs. 31.38 crore, considering its success in recent years. The new project will focus on ranching of fishes, particularly Hilsa, in the entire Ganga Basin, with the goal of enhancing fish conservation in the Ganga river basin and improving the livelihoods of fishermen. This includes captive breeding and stock enhancement of commercially important indigenous and iconic fish species of the Ganga Basin such as IMC, Hilsa, and Mahseer species. The project also emphasizes community sensitization for the conservation of aquatic biodiversity and the improvement of fishers’ livelihoods.
For wetland conservation, a proposal was approved that envisions effective management of Kalewala Jheel in Muzaffarnagar, Numaiya Dahi Jheel (Kheduva Taal) in Prayagraj, and Dahtal Reoti wetland in Ballia District. These proposals will facilitate the integration of biological diversity and ecosystem service values in river basin conservation and developmental planning of these important wetlands. The project includes maintaining hydrological connectivity with the wetland catchment, promoting good agricultural practices, maintaining the naturalness of shorelines, maintaining and improving habitat quality to support the diversity of wetland-dependent species, enhancing awareness of wetlands’ biodiversity and ecosystem services among stakeholders, and promoting local stakeholder participation in wetlands management.
Another proposal to develop Ganga Vatika Park in Dhalwala, Uttarakhand, was also approved in the 51st EC meeting.