Modi happy with Assi ghat restoration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday expressed happiness over the way the Assi ghat on the banks of the Ganga here had been spruced up.

The prime minister had launched his Clean India drive in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, from the ghat Nov 8.

He went around the stairs leading to the Ganga and lauded the NGOs and others who had painstakingly cleaned up the ghat in the last 40 days.

Expressing great satisfaction over the restoration of the century-old ghat, Modi had a special word of praise for NGO Sulabh International which has undertaken de-silting and restoration work there.

At least 25 steps at the ghat were covered with silt and mud for decades. They have now showed up again after the clean-up.

Modi interacted with Sulabh founder Bindeshwar Pathak and appreciated his efforts.

"Modiji asked about the cleaning operation," Pathak told IANS.

Pathak said he told the prime minister that by March 5 the entire ghat would look bright and clean.