‘Explain Ganga work to public’

New Delhi: Cleaning the river Ganga was one of the ambitious poll planks of Mr Narendra Modi during his Lok Sabha elections campaign of 2014, when he had promised to achieve the aim by 2019. Now with general polls just months  away, the Prime Minister has directed all his Cabinet colleagues to communicate to the people in their respective constituencies, and explain to them in simple terms how the NDA government has gone about the  humungous task with all earnestness.

With the NDA government keen to complete the task of cleaning 80 per cent of river Ganga by March 2019 under its ‘Namami Gange’ flagship project, a deadline which coincides with the Lok Sabha polls, the Narendra Modi-led dispensation wants the message to be conveyed across country that how it has managed to achieve the seemingly impossible task, acutely aware of the fact that Ganga is entwined with the cultural and religious consciousness of the people.

Top sources told this newspaper that the PM was recently briefed about the progress made in the ‘Namami Gange’ programme. minister for water resources and Ganga rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari and all the cabinet ministers were present during the briefing, after which Mr Modi is learnt to have told all the ministers that they should convey to the people in simple terms how the government has gone about undertaking the whole operation.

The Prime Minister reviewed the project as part of his willingness to discuss certain flagship projects of the government which require urgent updation among the co-uncil of ministers, so that they can be more proactively expedited, sources privy to developments informed. They added that the PM appeared satisfied with the progress made under the Namami Gange project and therefore directed his council of ministers to put across the message to the people of its successful implementation.

Namami Gange, the Rs 20,000 crore project, consists of 221 projects under which ghats, crematoria and sewerage treatment plants (STPs) are to be constructed alongside the river.

While the actual deadline of the project's completion is March 2020, Mr Gadkari recently had said that his ministry will be able to complete 80 per cent of the aforementioned projects by March 2019.

Sources privy to developments said that it is in the light of the minister's statement that the Prime Minister showed keenness to review the project's progress.