Ganga river basin authority notification

Ganga river basin authority notification

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the notification for setting up the Ganga River Basin Authority for comprehensive management of the basin on February 17th, 2009

The framework for the proposed authority was finalised at a meeting chaired by T.K.A. Nair, the principal secretary to the prime minister, with the chief secretaries of the Ganga Basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. West Bengal was represented by its principal secretary, department of environment.

"The five states unanimously endorsed the proposal, based on which the ministry of environment and forests will issue the notification under the Environment Protection Act," said a release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The setting up of the authority will help replace the current piecemeal efforts to clean up the Ganga with an integrated approach that sees the river as an ecological entity.

This will also help address issues of quantity in terms of water flows. The authority chaired by the prime minister will consist of the chief ministers of the Ganga basin states as members along with related ministers of the central government.


Ganga basin Authority notification discussed

Pursuant to the Prime Minister's meeting which decided to declare the River Ganga a national river a meeting chaired by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister today discussed the framework for the proposed Ganga River Basin Authority. The State Governments of basin states generally endorsed the key features of the draft notification for comprehensive planning for the river. The Ganga River Basin Authority is to be chaired by the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers of the five Ganga Basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal as members. It will also have the Union Ministers of Environment and Forests, Finance, Urban Development, Water Resources, Power, Science and Technology and Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission as members.

A draft notification proposing to constitute the Authority under section 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 was discussed, at the meeting. The State Governments agreed to give comments within one week. The draft notification discussed at the meeting clarifies that the proposed body would not be a separate additional clearance mechanism but would focus itself on planning for the river as a totality and address pollution abatement measures through ensuring adequate ecological flow in the river and specific interventions for sewerage treatment. At the meeting it was agreed to finalise the notification within the next few days.

February 10, 2009
PIB
Prime Minister's Office