Kanpur Industry committed to reviving the tradition of ‘melas’ to save Ganga

Kanpur Industry committed to reviving the tradition of â€˜melas’ to save Ganga

~ Ruling SP and opposition BJP joined hands to stop encroachment around Ganga~

~ Minister promised to initiate the State authority on Ganga meeting by Chief Minister ~

~ Scientist proposed that tanneries should be mandated to use treated water ~

~ The corridors of Kanpur University echoed with Harhar Mahadev at Life OK’s Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav ~

~ Life Ok’s Mahadev ke Ram, actor PiyushSahdev, said that everyone should treat river Ganga as their own mother ~

 

Life OK, India’s fastest growing general entertainment channel, took its social initiative, Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav to Kanpur — the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh.

The Samvaad, a neutral platform for constructive dialogue, was successful in bringing together elected representatives of two political parties for the cause of the Ganga at the ChattrapatiSahujiMaharaj University (Kanpur University). One of the most important topics of the discussion was ‘Toxic pollutants let in the Ganga by various industries.’

 

Industry veteran and Chairman & MD of Superhouse Group, ShriMukhtarul Amin committed at the Samvaad that the industries of Kanpur will take a lead to revive the ‘melas’ across the banks of the Ganga. The idea being, this will ensure that the currently polluted banks be cleaned and looked after. He said, “I, on behalf of our industry would like to say that we need to take the responsibility of ensuring that the water of Ganga is clean. And the offenders need to be punished.”

 

The open discussion featured active participation of Shri Raja MahendraAridaman Singh, Minister for Stamp & Court Fees, Registration, Civil Defence, Uttar Pradesh as the Guest of Honour. He promised to ensure that the much pending, first ever meeting of the State authority created for the Ganga will happen soon under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

 

From the field of Science and Academia, Dr. BD Tripathi, Member National Ganga River Basin Authority and Dr. Vinod Tare, Professor, Environmental Engineering and Management Programme Department of Civil Engineering IIT Kanpur shared a more factual picture of the ground realities.

 

Dr. Vinod Tare, who is also heading the environment and management plan being drafted for the Ganga pointed out that it is important that zero discharge is followed. He proposed that “the treated water from the industries should not be let in the Ganga, instead this treated water should be sent back to the tanneries for their use to ensure the treatment plants be effective”.

 

For the noble cause of a cleaner Ganga, the Samvaad was able to get two politician from opposing parties; Shri IrfanSolanki, Samajwadi Party, MLA and ShriSalilBishnoi, BhartiyaJanata Party, MLA to join hands and together commit that they will not allow encroachments along the Ganga in their constituencies.

 

Actor PiyushSahdev, who essays the role of Mahadev ke Ram in the popular series Devon KeDev… Mahadev on Life OK supported the initiative and said “Taking up the cause of mother Ganga is a noble initiative by Life OK channel. The channel has always taken up social initiatives through many of their shows like Savdhaan India and Devon KeDev…Mahadev. If everyone of us considers Ganga as their own mother and refrains to take her for granted or pollute the river, it will be a crucial step to solve the problems of the national river”

 

Children from over 43 schools in Kanpur, some of whom were dressed as Nanhe Mahadev, presented a pledge to each of the panelists, including the politicians and industrialists. The pledge was a compilation of signatures and paintings by the students as part of the School contact programme to create awareness on the river Ganga. The engagement program had over 90,000 people pledge to keep the river clean, including school children, their friends and families.

 

Commenting on the occasion, ShriShailendraJha, Creative Director, Life OK, said “Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav is an awareness initiative aimed at sensitizing and mobilizing public opinion towards the issues impacting the river Ganga. We have received a phenomenal response so far and have reached out to over more than 30 million people through Samvaads held in Haridwar, Allahabad, Varanasi and New Delhi. We have also kept our focus on mobilizing school children to spread awareness as they are the true torchbearers of change for a better future. I sincerely hope that the pledge serves as a constant reminder to all stakeholders about the future of the river.”

 

The Mahotsav took wings in Haridwar, where Shri Vijay Bahuguna, Chief Minister, Uttarakhand made policy changes with respect to saving the river. It then travelled to MahaKumbh in Allahabad, where spiritual leaders from across the country took a pledge to protect the river Ganga. Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav witnessed the completion of another successful chapter in Varanasi. In New Delhi, through the RashtriyaSamvaad, Shri Harish Rawat, Union Minister of Water Resources, made key announcements regarding the River Ganga. The channel has reached out to millions through various outreach programs like School contact, Mohalla or Community outreach, Ghaat cleaning activities and entertainment events across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.

 

The Samvaad in Kanpur marks the beginning of the second phase of the Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav, with a focus on spreading awareness among children. It is hence that the initiative first engaged the children of the city and then engaged the other stakeholders in a serious dialogue through Samvaad. With hopes of being an agent of change, the Mahadev Ganga Mahotsav vows to take small but differentiating steps that are essential to ensure a brighter future for Ganga.

 

  

For more information, please contact:

Atul Malikram

[email protected]