New Delhi: Magsaysay award-winner 'Waterman' Rajendra Singh and two others on Saturday quit the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-chaired National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), protesting the government's "negligence" of the river.
Besides Singh, two other NGRBA members Ravi Chopra and RH Siddiqi also submitted their resignation letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing solidarity with noted environmentalist GD Agrawal who is on "fast-unto-death" to
press for cleaning up the Ganges.
Rajendra Singh said that the resignations were sent after their meeting with Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal during the day when they apprised him of the agitation of Agrawal, who is known as Swami Gyanswaroop Anand.
Agrawal had on Friday announced that he will not take water in the last phase of his fast-unto-death to press for uninterrupted clean flow of the Ganga.
While Chopra is the Director of Dehradun-based People's Science Institute, Siddiqi is a former Professor of Aligarh Muslim University.
"Swami Gyanswaroop Anand's demand is respect river Ganga and ensure clean and continuous flow of the river. He has been on agitation for the last 47 days in Varanasi on the bank of the Ganga. But government seems to be neglecting his demand.
He entered his second phase of agitation on Friday declaring he will not take water. His life is in danger," Rajendra Singh said.
He alleged NGRBA was constituted three and half years ago and it had met only twice since its formation.
The last meeting of the Authority was held one and half years ago, he said.
"My decision to quit the panel was conveyed to the Prime Minister in November last year," he said.
Singh said the Ganges "is dying" and instead of ensuring its free flow, the government is giving clearance to construction of more and more dams in its upstream.
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