Friday, June 15, 2012

Activists slam Indian PM over deplorable condition of river Ganges


Activists slam Indian PM over deplorable condition of river Ganges

MAY 21, 2012,   varanasi (ANI)       By Girish Kumar Dubey

Activists in northern India lashed at Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh for failing to adopt concrete measures to ensure cleaning of sacred river Ganges even as they warned of a mass protest in New Delhi in the near future.

Interacting with reporters in Varanasi city of northern Uttar Pradesh state on Tuesday (May 22), activists said that the federal government's future looms in danger because of turning a deaf ear to their demands.

"The Indian Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) is not playing his role in resolving the issue of saving River Ganges. On one hand he says that Ganges is the country's soul and on the other hand he doesn't take concrete steps to participate in the cause of cleaning and restoring it. So many people are sacrificing their lives for the cause and he seems to take no notice. River Ganges is sacred for so many people and India's constitution doesn't allow sabotaging someone's faith and belief. This is a matter of millions of Indians and needs immediate attention. I think the federal government still has time, if now they don't act promptly I am sure it will never return to power in the future," said an activist, Ramsharan Kumar.

Activists also said that they would soon head to the national capital to conduct protest rallies for their demands.

"We have started conducting 'Ganga Mukti Maha Sammelan' in over 20 states and starting from June 18 millions of people supporting the cause of cleaning and protecting river Ganges will reach New Delhi to protest," said another activist, Promod Krishna.

The Ganges, apart from the problems of siltation and flooding, has large stretches heavily polluted by industrial and domestic waste.

The Indian government last year approved a $1 billion loan from the World Bank to fund an eight-year project to clean the River Ganges.

The 2,510-kilometre-long river that runs from a glacier in the western Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh supports over 400 million people out of India's population of 1.2 billion.

The river occupies pride of place in the Hindu religious pantheon as a giver of sustenance.


Intro

Activists in northern India lash at Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh for failing to adopt concrete measures to ensure cleaning of sacred river Ganges even as they warn of a mass protest in the national capital in the near future.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

Shotlist

VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (MAY 21, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)

1. ACTIVISTS SITTING AT A MEETING

2. AN ACTIVIST ADDRESSING A GATHERING

3. ACTIVISTS SITTING AT THE MEET

4. ACTIVISTS STANDING

5. ANOTHER ACTIVIST SITTING

6. PEOPLE SITTING

7. MUSICIANS PLAYING THE TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENT 'SITAR'

8. MUSICIANS PLAYING 'TABLA'

9. A GATHERING SEATED

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) AN ACTIVIST, RAMSHARAN KUMAR, SAYING:

"The Indian Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) is not playing his role in resolving the issue of saving River Ganges. On one hand he says that Ganges is the country's soul and on the other hand he doesn't take concrete steps to participate in the cause of cleaning and restoring it. So many people are sacrificing their lives for the cause and he seems to take no notice. River Ganges is sacred for so many people and India's constitution doesn't allow sabotaging someone's faith and belief. This is a matter of millions of Indians and needs immediate attention. I think the federal government still has time, if now they don't act promptly I am sure it will never return to power in the future."

11. TELEVISION ACTOR MUKESH KHANNA WALKING WITH SUPPORTERS

12. ACTIVISTS HOLDING BANNERS

13. A BANNER IN HINDI READING 'GANGA'

14. KHANNA WAVING TO REPORTERS

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) AN ACTIVIST, PROMOD KRISHNA, SAYING:

"We have started conducting 'Ganga Mukti Maha Sammelan' in over 20 states and starting from June 18 millions of people supporting the cause of cleaning and protecting river Ganges will reach New Delhi to protest."

RECENT (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)

16. PEOPLE GATHERED ON A RIVERBANK

17. VOLUNTEERS CARRYING GARBAGE

18. A PILE OF RUBBISH

19. SCHOOLCHILDREN SWEEPING RIVERBANK CLEAN

20. VOLUNTEERS STANDING IN THE WATER, PULLING OUT REFUSE

21. RIVER BEING CLEANED BY VOLUNTEERS

22. A PILE OF RUBBISH

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