Uttarakhand to make separate Ganga Action Plan

New Delhi, Sep 3 (UNI) The BJP government in Uttarakhand will make its own action plan for cleaning of Ganga and Yamuna, Chief Minister BC Khanduri said here today.

''We had put it in our manifesto that we will purge the rivers of all filth within five years, and now we will fulfill the promise,'' he told reporters here.

He said he was fully confident of giving a clean Ganga at the point where it enters the plains once separate action plans were put in place.

The chief minister said he had also demanded raising of two more companies of the Eco Development Force each for two regions of the state so that the work of conservation and improvement of environment could be carried out speedily, but the Environment Ministry has turned down our request.

''But we are ready to raise the force by our own funds,'' he added.

At present two task forces--one at Dehradun and another at Pithorgarh were working.

Eco-Development Forces consist of ex-servicemen, preferably from within the area of operation, whereas the nuclear core of the force is constituted of regular servicemen. It is based on twin objectives of ecological regeneration in difficult areas, and promotion of meaningful employment to exservicemen.

The establishment and operational expenditure on the Eco Task Force (ETF) Battalions raised by Ministry of Defence is reimbursed by Ministry of Environment and Forests while the inputs like sapling and fencing, as also the professional and managerial guidance is provided by the State Forest Departments.

UNI