The Uttarakhand government was put on the defensive on the issue of the rising levels of pollution in the river Ganga in the state assembly on Wednesday.

The entire opposition along with the BJP’s ally the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) was agitated on the reply given by the environment minister Bishan Singh Chauphal to a supplementary question regarding the sewerage finding its way into the Ganga at various places. Chauphal had claimed that there was no inflow of sewerage into the river at any point. They were also joined by the BJP legislator from Rishikesh Prem Chand Aggarwal.

The opposition legislators said that the minister was not aware of the facts as sewerage was finding its way into the sacred river at several places right from Gaumukh. The BSP and Congress legislators stormed into the well of the House stating that the issue cannot be dismissed by the government as it is connected to the faith of the masses.

Prem Chand Aggarwal and UKD’s Om Gopal wanted a detailed discussion on the matter and kept leveling allegations at the Ganga Pollution Control Board. They charged that the Board has turned out to be a white elephant and has failed to deliver results. UKD’s Pushpesh Tripathi wanted to know if the government had asked for any package from the centre to mitigate the problem of pollutin in the river. The Congress legislators staged a walkout on the issue.

Replying to a question, the environment minister told the House that the water of Ganga at Hardwar contains such high quantity of e-coliform bacteria that it is not fit for human consumption. However, he said that the water is fit to be used for agricultural purposes.

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