SC pulls up Centre on Ganga cleaning project

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled the Union Government and state pollution control boards up for not taking action against polluting industries functioning on the banks of the River Ganga.

Reportedly calling the modus operandi of pollution control boards a 'complete failure', the court further reprimanded these bodies for their 'casual' approach to cleaning up the river.

Insisting that action must be seen to be taken against factories releasing effluents in the Ganga, the Supreme Court asked the National Green Tribunal to monitor all polluting establishments located on the river's banks, and act against them for any violation of the law.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given top priority to the cleaning of the Ganga, which is also a part of a promise which he made during his election campaign.

During his visit to New York last month, the Prime Minister, while addressing a crowd of fans at Madison Square Garden, had said, "People ask me why I am taking up such difficult tasks, like cleaning the Ganga. My reply to them is that I wasn't made the Prime Minister to solve easy problems. Cleaning the Ganga does not only hold religious purposes for me, I feel it will also help to tackle climatic problems.