Parliament Question: Namami Gange Programme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4812 ANSWERED ON 21.08.2025 NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME 4812. SHRI MUKESHKUMAR CHANDRAKAANT DALAL: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) the objectives of the review meeting held between the Ministry and the State Government of West Bengal to assess progress under the Namami Gange programme; (b) the main project indicators and targets evaluated during this meeting; (c) the specific roadblocks identified which have hindered the implementation of this programme in West Bengal; (d) the follow-up actions agreed upon to address them; (e) whether the Ministry plans to conduct similar collaborative review meetings with other Ganga-basin States; and (f) if so, the details along with the schedule thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) & (b) The primary objective of the review meetings is to comprehensively assess the progress of pollution abatement works undertaken for the river Ganga and its tributaries under the Namami Gange Programme. These meetings serve as a platform to identify and resolve critical bottlenecks, implementation delays, and inter-departmental coordination issues that may hinder the timely execution of ongoing projects. In the State of West Bengal, the progress of certain projects has been impacted due to challenges related to land acquisition and right to way (RoW) for laying interceptor sewers. The review meeting with officials of the State Government of West Bengal was to review the progress of major ongoing infrastructure projects. The meeting focused on five key projects related to Interception & Diversion (I&D) and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in the towns of Maheshtala, Chakdaha, Berhampore & Jangipur, Garden Reach (Kolkata) and North Barrackpore. Detailed discussions were held on project timelines, implementation challenges and coordination between agencies. The importance of timely completion was emphasized clear directions were given to expedite work to concerned agencies, to ensure 1that all projects adhere to their scheduled deadlines. The follow-up to that direction is taken in subsequent Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) & Empowered Task Force (ETF) meetings. (c) & (d) The identification of suitable land for the establishment of new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and issue of statutory clearances like right of way for sewage-related networks have emerged as major challenges. To address and overcome these challenges, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has been actively involved in closely monitoring the status of the projects. NMCG regularly conducts comprehensive review meetings under the chairmanship of competent authorities and through Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) to evaluate progress, identify potential roadblocks, and ensure timely resolutions. (e) & (f) Yes. The Central Government, through the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), is also regularly conducting comprehensive review meetings with all Ganga basin States, namely Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi, through established institutional mechanisms under NMCG. These include the Project Review Meeting, the Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) and the Empowered Task Force (ETF). The objective of these meetings is to evaluate project progress, identify potential bottlenecks, and facilitate the timely resolution of issues in coordination with State Government and implementing agencies. Till date, a total of 20 meetings have been conducted with the 11 Ganga basin States under the CMC, and 15 meetings under the ETF mechanism. These meetings are in addition to the regular review meetings taken by senior officials of NMCG. ***** 2