Arail (Allahabad): There is a Brazillian who is part of the Save Ganga campaign. Meet Swami Premji from Sau Paulo, disciple of a swami in Rishikesh, in Kumbh City to set an example and inspire Indians to save the holy river. He has come prepared along with 200 disciples. “We will start work on the project in a couple of days,” he told TOI.

His concern for the Ganga is 14 years old. “I came to India in 1999 and have seen Ganga deteriorating,” he said, recalling that last year when he was walking on the Lakshman Jhoola, the state of Ganga reminded him of Tiete the river that passes through Sau Paulo. “Tiete has turned into a dead river and authorities are struggling to give it a new leash of life. Fearing a similar fate for Ganga, I thought the time to act is now,” said swami Premji.

Airlines, hotels and tour operators likely to see a boom in business activities

The ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad is projected to generate about Rs 12,000 crore of revenues and create over 6 lakh job opportunities. Airlines, hotels and tour operators are likely to witness a boom period in their economic activities due to the Maha Kumbh and contribute Rs 12,000 crore revenues to the state coffers in Uttar Pradesh.

Allahabad: Maha Kumbh, the world’s biggest gathering of humanity, is set to begin on Monday when an estimated 1.1 crore devotees will take the holy dip at Sangam on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. All arrangements seem to be in place except for one problem — there isn’t enough water in the Ganga for the mass ritual.

Experts at Allahabad University and UP Pollution Control Board said there’s just knee-deep water at Sangam and around three feet at the main bathing areas. The level in the post-monsoon season should be two-three metres above this, they said

Airlines, hotels, tour operators and Uttar Pradesh in general are likely to reap a windfall during the Maha Kumbh Mela in the state with the government likely to see its coffers swelling by Rs 12,000 crore, according to an industry body.

ASSOCHAM's paper 'Maha Kumbh Mela 2013- Possible Revenue Generation Resources for Uttar Pradesh' says that the pilgrimage would generate additional employment opportunities for over six lakh workers in sectors spanning airlines and airports, hotels, tours, infrastructure and also trigger a surge in medical and eco-tourism.

The entire North India continued to remain in the grip of severe cold wave on Sunday, with 23 more people succumbing to the chill in various parts of the region.

Delhi shivered at season’s lowest of minimum 1.9 degrees, five notches below normal, while the maximum temperature plummeted by 9 degrees below normal to settle at 11.8 degrees.

An attempt has been made to investigate occurrence and bioaccumulation of metallic elements in river Ganga water at Allahabad using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique. The recorded spectrum shows the presence of atomic lines of the micronutrients (Ti, Si, Cr, Co, Br, Ba, Sr), macronutrients (H, N, Na, O, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, C) and toxic metals (Hg, Pb, Cd).

In a bid to make available clean and continuous flow of water in river Ganga during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad next month, the UP Government has issued directions for shutting down industrial

The district administration has launched an inspection drive against city’s polluting tanneries to ensure availability of clean Ganga water for pilgrims during next year’s Maha Kumbh Mela in Allaha

Even as Delhi has imposed a blanket ban on the use and manufacture of plastic carry bags, environmental action groups have expressed grave concern over the total lack of prohibitive measures for su

Farmers’ protest against the proposed 1,980-MW power plant in the trans-Yamuna Karchhna tehsil of Allahabad district entered its 777th day on Tuesday.

While the district administration recently served a month’s ultimatum on the farmers to return the compensation they had received for land acquisition, the farmers told The Hindu that they would not be able to repay the amount, regardless of the ultimatum. Meanwhile, they say they will continue agitating at the proposed site, where they assemble daily under the banner of Punrvas Kisan Kalyan Sahayata Samiti. “On Tuesday, it is 777 days,” said Kisan Andolan president Raj Bahadur Patel.

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