Will clean 70% of Ganga river by 2019-end, assures Nitin Gadkari

We know the public will not forgive us if we fail to clean the Ganga

As much as 70 per cent of the Ganga river will be clean by 2019-end, says Nitin Gadkari, who is now also in charge of the ministry of river development and Ganga rejuvenation.

Cleaning of the Ganga was a poll plank for the present ruling coalition. However, the schemes are stuck at various levels with state governments. Its other programme of river linking remains a non-starter.

Some companies (the Vedanta group is one) have been given some areas of the river for maintenance. Rivers that are tributaries to the Ganga are also being tackled. “There are 40 tributaries of Ganga