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Uttaranchal asked to release more water

Water would reduce pollution level for Mauni Amavasya, Basant Panchami

Lucknow: After some sadhus refused to bathe in the holy Ganga at Allahabad, the Uttar Pradesh government has asked Uttaranchal to release 1,000 cusecs of water into the river to reduce its pollution level for the upcoming Mauni Amavasya and Basant Panchami rituals.

A senior Irrigation Department official had been sent to the Uttaranchal government with a request letter for the additional water, state Irrigation Minister Munna Singh Chauhan said here on Tuesday.

He said Uttaranchal had assured that the water would be released soon and added that tests of water samples found it fit for drinking and bathing but ``this step would help further remove the doubts in minds of the sadhus".

Chauhan said 450 cusecs water has already been released in the river from Narora reservoir in Bulandshahr, which would reach Allahabad by tomorrow or Thursday before Mauni Amavasya on January 29 and Basant Panchami on February 3.

The district magistrates of Unnao, Kanpur, Farrukhabad and Allahabad had been directed to take concrete steps to check chemical and other discharge into the river and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had directed Chief Secretary R. Ramani to take up the matter with the respective authorities, he said.

An appeal regarding pollution and shortage of water in the Ganga during Magh Mela has already been filed in the Allahabad High Court, which has sought a detailed reply from the Government on the steps taken for a permanent solution to the problem.

The sadhus assembled in Allahabad from Magh Mela had launched an agitation over the high level of pollution and threatened to boycott the ritual bathing. -- PTI

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Uttaranchal asked to release more water

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