Namami Ganga Project will not succeed without desiltation: Nitish
Patna,(BiharTimes): Keeping up the pressure for the removal of Farakka Barrage Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday claimed that Namami Ganga Project of the Narendra Modi government would not succeed unless the Centre ensures uninterrupted flow of waters in the lower riparian states and this can be achieved only by finding out a permanent solution for removal of silt from its bed.
Speaking at the magazine release function in the Annexe building of Bihar Legislative Council he said that he had said so at meetings of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister and he was saying so today as well.
He said Namami Ganga is meant to clean and protect this river, which is possible only when its natural and uninterrupted flow is maintained. For this the Centre would have to find out a solution, which is possible only by the removal of silt accumulated after the construction of Farakka barrage. If such measures are not taken Namami Ganga Project would not succeed.
Nitish said Ganga has become shallow river in major parts of Bihar due to huge accumulation of silt as Farakka Barrage does not allow its free flow.
Nitish recalled as to how at one of the meetings of NGRBA, he invited the then Union water resources minister Pawan Kumar Bansal to Bihar to see the silt deposition in the bed of Ganga.
According to the Bihar chief minister after making an aerial survey of silt deposition in Ganga from Buxar to Farakka, Bansal conceded his concerns.
However, Bansal asked for an alternative suggestion, the Bihar CM said.
Nitish agreed that dismantling of Farakka Barrage might not be possible due to political and diplomatic issues. But the Centre must find out a solution for silt management.
He said Namami Ganga is meant to clean and protect this river, which is possible only when its natural and uninterrupted flow is maintained. For this the Centre would have to find out a solution, which is possible only by the removal of silt accumulated after the construction of Farakka barrage. If such measures are not taken Namami Ganga Project would not succeed.