Dirty rivers

Prime Minister (PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee recently admitted that all is not well with river cleaning projects in the country. While addressing the 11th meeting of the National River Conservation Authority, held in New Delhi on June 16, Vajpayee asked the states to pay more attention to the implementation of such schemes.

The PM rued that though the first phase of the Ganga and Yamuna action plans was complete, the operation and maintenance of assets under the programmes were unsatisfactory. He emphasised that involvement of non-governmental organisations and civil society members was crucial for the success of river cleaning projects.