The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the implementing authority for the river’s rejuvenation, has fast tracked the renovation and construction of the ghats and crematoriums along the river’s bank along with riverfront development, reports ANI.

New ghats are being built in cities like Kanpur, Prayagraj, Vrindavan, Varanasi, Haridwar and Patna with modern facilities like bio-toilets, changing rooms and wider bathing spaces for the devotees. Existing ghats are also being upgraded to facilitate greater ease of access during special occasions and festivals.

Along with developing a total of 151 ghats, the government will complete 51 crematorium projects by March 2019. To enable both tourists and residents to get a fuller and broader view of the river, NMCG is also undertaking riverfront development activities.

Progress By March

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari had earlier stated in December 2018 that nearly 80 per cent of Ganga will be cleaned in the next three months.

Gadkari added that while the previous governments spent less than Rs 4,000 crore on Ganga cleaning programmes between 1985 and 2014, the present Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has sanctioned 254 projects for more than Rs 24,000 crore in the last four years.

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