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NGT summons Uttarakhand Chief Secretary over Ganga cleaning
New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) Unsatisfied over the explanation given by Uttarakhand over cleaning the river Ganga, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday summoned the state’s Chief Secretary.
It also said that that there is no clarity as how much funds shall be dedicated to clean the Ganga’s tributaries under the National Mission for Cleaning Ganga (NMCG).
Rapping the officials involved, the Tribunal also asked for the minutes of the meeting of the Principal and Core Committee.
“What was the resolution of the meeting… we want the minutes, like a proper meeting has, unlike a ‘chai-pakoda’ meeting,” it said.
The tribunal has asked the Chief Secretary to be present before it on April 3 to explain the steps take so far for cleaning the river Ganga from Gomukh to Haridwar under Phase-I.
The bench, headed by Justice Jawad Rahim, found the compliance report filed by the state as “factually incorrect”, and then asked for the official concerned, who was not present in the court.
“Since we notice absence of responsible officers, we direct the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand to be personally present here with first hand information that the tribunal expects,” Justice Rahim said.
“There is no clarity over the funding by NMCG to prevent the pollution in the tributaries of the Ganga… No clarity which source of funding would attend to the pollution load in tributaries,” the bench observed.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government had withdraw its two affidavits filed on February 28 and March 5, 2018. The affidavits claimed to have adhered to the direction given by the Tribunal’s December 2015 direction.
The green court had directed the Uttarakhand government to to re-examine the issue of pollution in the river and come up with a proper statement over the compliance with the NGT’s December 10, 2015 directions on rejuvenation of the river.
Advocate M.C. Mehta, who has filed a plea for cleaning of Ganga, had pointed out that deficiencies in the compliance report.
The Tribunal had, in December 2015, passed a slew of directions which includes declaring an area of 100 metres on the river’s banks as ‘no development zone’ and prohibiting dumping of waste in a stretch of 500 metres.
It also said that all tributaries of the river must be cleaned and flow of sewage into them must be stopped immediately.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.