Centre calls meeting of five states on Ganga

The central government has called a meeting of five states to stop the flow of untreated sewage water into the Ganga river, said a statement Wednesday.

The decision to call for a meeting of five states - Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal - was taken jointly by Water Resources Minster Uma Bharti and Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.

"The discussion will be on the formulation and execution of schemes to avoid pollution of the river Ganga being contributed by the 118 towns and cities that are located along the river," said the statement from urban development ministry.

Ministers of urban development of these five states along with the principal secretaries of urban development, mayors and chairpersons and commissioners of 118 urban bodies will attend the meeting.

The meeting is intended to sensitise all the concerned about the measures to be taken to address pollution of Ganga.