Haridwar residents unsatisfied with preparations for Maha Kumbh Mela

Dehradun, Dec 4 (ANI): Residents of Haridwar voiced their concern at the rising level of pollution in the holy River Ganga and also allied arrangements for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela when tens of thousands of people will converge for the ritual dip here.

The Kumbh Mela takes place in mid January every year when the Sun traverses across the Tropic of Cancer as per the Hindu almanac whereas the Maha Kumbh Mela takes place once in every 12 years.

Over 10 million people are expected to converge at Haridwar, the venue of the Maha Kumbh Mela.

The residents felt it is the duty of the people of the city to keep the holy river Ganga clean and also that the authorities should optimise the utilisation of the funds provided by the central government effectively.

"River Ganga's situation is deteriorating day by day. It is the duty of the people living near the banks of the river to keep it pollution free and not throw the domestic and other wastes into it. The sewage treatment plant that was set up during the 1970s is still working at a very slow pace. The crowd has increased over the subsequent years and it is swelling. But the situation of the treatment plant is far from satisfactory and needs improvement. If this remains to be the condition of Maha Kumbh Mela then the devotees will be very disappointed," said Vinay Uniyal, a resident.

Although the Central Government has already allocated a hefty outlay for the management of the Kumbh Mela, nothing has been done to clean the holy river as yet.ccording to Rajendra Sethi, President of Ganga Cleanliness Committee, despite of the innumerable cleanliness campaigns, the locals are not paying any attention towards the cleanliness of Ganges.

"The government and the locals should pay attention towards the cleanliness of the river since the Kumbh Mela is just around the corner. Crores of devotees are going to converge during the festival and if they witness such a state of River Ganga, then they won't take back home a good message. So, it has become very important to keep the river clean and free from pollution," said Sethi. (ANI)