Ramdev demands ''National Heritage'' status to Ganga

Kanpur, Sep 17 (UNI) Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev today urged the Centre to declare the river Ganga as a National Heritage, besides demanding chief ministers of five states to take initiative steps for keeping the river pollution free.

After worshiping the river Ganga, Baba Ramdev launched a massive drive for keeping the river free of pollution. He told newsmen that the Centre should declare the river Ganga as National Heritage akin to the world famous mausoleum Taj Mahal.

Referring to the Ganga action plan, the yoga expert said despite spending of crores of rupees by the Centre, the river Ganga could not be made pollution free so far. He said the chief ministers of five states -- including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal -- should take immediate steps to keep river Ganga clean and smooth flowing.

He said the river was the most polluted in this Industrial city, from where a huge quantity of filthy water from drains and chemical wastes were thrown.

Baba Ramdev said saints and Ganga lovers of 550 districts would go on a day fast tomorrow and hand over mem morandums addressing to the Prime minister and Chief Ministers of five states, from where the the Ganga was flowing.

Union Minister of state for Home Shriprakash Jaiswal, who was also present on this occasion, said the Center had spent a huge amount under the Ganga Action Plan and had provided crores of rupees to the states and local bodies over the same, but the river could not be saved from pollution.

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