Experts to visit Patna, Farakka to study Ganga silting : Uma

Experts from water resources department would meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has expressed concern over silting in the Ganga, on Monday and would inspect spots between Patna and Farakka barrage on his advice, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti today said.
"Before accepting the report of the international experts team on removing silt in the Ganga, the team under water resources department secretary would visit Patna on June 5 and on the advice of Nitish Kumar would inspect spots between Patna and Farakka barrage in West Bengal for more indepth study of the problem," Uma Bharti told reporters here.

Bharti had a meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar here last evening on the issue.
"The union government's priority is to free Ganga of silt and after it similar exercise would be carried out in other rivers too," she said.
On concerns raised by Nitish Kumar about Farakka dam causing siltation in Ganga resulting in floods in Bihar every year, she said "The experts opinion will be final in this regard."
Kumar has been advocating demolition of Farakka dam.

In reply to a question on freeing Ganga of silt problem and its cleaning by 2018, the Union Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation minister said "I have said Ganga nirmalta (cleanliness) will be achieved in 10 years time."

Work on phase one for this would start in two years and the results would take another two years to come, she said.
"For cleanliness and unhindered flow of water another 4-5 years would be needed. On the basis of this I have always talked about 10 years' timeframe.