Malda : The Farakka Barrage authorities have decided to deploy the Central Industrial Security Force at Manikchak where residents have stalled anti-erosion work along the Ganga. At an all-party meeting at the district magistrate's office here today, the administration endorsed the barrage authorities' decision to deploy the para-military force from tomorrow to enable them to go ahead with the work.

TIMES VIEW Keep off the business of faith Who said the government is insensitive to the needs of the public? Keeping in mind the religious sentiments of many Hindus, post offices in Ghaziabad have started to sell bottled Ganga water. They will earn a commission on each bottle sold. A private company and Garhwal Vikas Mandal, a government body, are responsible for procurement and packaging of the water sourced from Gaumukh in the Himalayas.

If Earth survives, so shall life

Sir

Ten of the largest rivers in the world are dying. Amongst these are the Ganga, Indus, Nile, Yangtze, Mekong and Danube that are the lifeline of millions of people. These rivers are not merely water sources but repositories of history, myths and cultural memories. And, the greatest threat to these and many other rivers is industrial pollution apart from natural sewage channels.

The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has will be involving 126 municipalities of the state for the

A sharp fall in the water level of the Ganga downstream from Narora in Bulandshahr district of western Uttar Pradesh has fuelled fears of the grand old river being reduced to a trickle at the holy Sangam in Allahabad. The fall in the level of the river, considered the lifeline of the State since ancient times, has set alarm bells ringing. The state of the river in Varanasi is no better than in Allahabad.

An exhibit at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum. Picture by Amit Datta The next best thing to a Hooghly cruise with your child this summer could be a visit to the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum for a virtual journey through the rivers of the world. The museum is holding the exhibition to commemorate its 49th anniversary and will be open for 45 days before travelling to other cities.

Despite fears that the flow of the Bhagirathi, the main tributary of the Ganga, is falling in volume, the government has said there is no such threat to the river and the "natural' receding of the Gangotri glacier does not require any corrective measures. "Gomukh is the ice cave of Gangotri glacier through which the river Bhagirathi emerges from the glacier. Therefore, the question of Ganga going far away from the main source does not arise,' earth sciences minister Kapil Sibal informed the Parliament.

KRISHNAGAR Less than a month before the panchayat elections begin, the Nabadwip block Trinamul Congress has decided to focus on the issue of erosion along the banks of the Ganga. To register their outrage against the state's inaction in checking river erosion, the Nabadwip Trinamul Congress blocked Nabadwip road on Sunday morning and also stopped the Shantipur-Nabadwip toy train at Maheshganj near Nabadwip.