Ganga action plan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program launched by Government of India in April 1985 in order to reduce the pollution load on the river Ganga. The program was launched with much fanfare, but it terribly failed to decrease the pollution level in the river, after spending 901.71 crore (approx. 1010) rupees over a period of 15 years.[1][1]
[edit] History
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was an ambitious plan to clean the River Ganga. It originated from the personal intervention and interest of the late Prime Minster Mrs Indira Gandhi, who requested a comprehensive survey of the situation in 1979. After five years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) published two comprehensive reports, which formed the base from which the action plan to clean up the Ganga, was developed.[2]
Department of Environment, in December 1984, prepared an action plan for immediate reduction of pollution load on the river Ganga. The Cabinet approved the GAP (Ganga Action Plan) in April 1985 as a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme. To oversee the implementation of the GAP and to lay down policies and programmes, Government of India constituted a Central Ganga Authority (CGA) in February 1985, later renamed as the National River Conservation Authority (NRCA) in September 1995, under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. The Government also established the Ganga Project Directorate (GPD) in June 1985 as a wing of Department of Environment, to execute the projects under the guidance and supervision of the CGA. The Government renamed the GPD as the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) in June 1994.[3] Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, the then prime minister of India, announced the creation of CGA. GAP was launched in 5 major cities along the river.[4] These five cities included Kanpur and Allahabad.[5]
[edit] Result
Many people say that GAP was an over-ambitious project. Some other argue that money was not spent due to corruption. GAP is widely considered a failure[6][7][1]
