Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the British were responsible for polluting the Ganga river in Kanpur since sewage flowed into it during their rule in India. Therefore, westerners who were giving “gyan” to Indians should think about their own deeds and responsibility, the CM said in his address in the Legislative Council.
“However, what they polluted (Ganga) is sacred to us and people still take a dip in the river which purifies us,” he said.
Dismissing the allegations of pollution in the river during Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, Yogi said the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) took regular water samples from the Sangam and every sample was found within the parameters.”There is a question about pollution in the Ganga. In its 1,000km journey from Bijnor to Ballia in UP, the most critical point of the river was Kanpur. For 125 years, 4 crore litres of sewage was drained into the Ganga at Sisamau. We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ensuring the river’s cleanliness through the Namami Gange scheme,” the CM said, accusing the previous Samajwadi Party govt of not using funds given by the Centre to clean the river. The CM added that, as per science, flowing water cleanses itself. Raising doubts about the Central Pollution Control Board report on the Sangam water quality, he said that UPPCB did its own sample collection. In Sangam, levels of BOD, BO, and faecal coliform all met standards of purity in Jan and Feb this year. The Ganga, according to its nature, took care of itself and the impact of western modernisation, the CM said.
Lashing out at anyone who made any negative comment about the Maha Kumbh, the CM quoted Lord Krishna, saying that a person perceives him as per their thinking. Similarly, negative people could only look at negative aspects of the mega festival, where 66 crore people took a dip.
On the other hand, Yogi said, people from across the globe appreciated the organisation of the event and expressed amazement at its grandeur. Giving the example of various western media that covered the event positively, the CM quoted an Indian journalist, adding that he was usually critical of the govt and could therefore be trusted with his comments, that the 45-day long event was peaceful and people were disciplined.
“Despite 66.30 crore people, there were no reports of looting, kidnapping, teasing, or any illegal activity. People came with bias of caste, community, or area and gave a new message of unity to the world,” he said.
Talking about the economic impact of Maha Kumbh on neighbouring areas, the CM said that the Kashi Vishwanath Dham was packed with devotees on all 45 days of the Maha Kumbh, with an average of 5-25 lakh people visiting it every day. In Ayodhya too, an average of 5-10 lakh devotees visited the Ram Lalla temple every day. He gave the example of two boatmen families who, with 130 boats between them, earned Rs 30 crore during the Maha Kumbh, while UP’s earnings went up by Rs 3.5 lakh crore during this period. The CM said that despite inconveniences, residents did not complain once but opened their homes and hearts to the visitors. Between the evening of Jan 28 and Jan 29, govt stopped around 2 lakh vehicles in districts neighbouring Prayagraj due to overcrowding, and people came out to offer the stranded passengers food and shelter.
