Major jolt for Dr Singh-led NGRBA, 3 experts resign

Three expert members -- Rajendra Singh, Ravi Chopra and Rashid Siddiqui -- have resigned from the National Ganga River Basin Authority.

The Authority is chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

The members were miffed with the fact that the NGRBA has not held a meeting since April 17, 2012. Even that meeting took place after a gap of nearly 18 months at the insistence of some of the expert members.

The recent disaster in Uttarakhand has confirmed that many of the fears expressed by the
members -- about the mismanagement of Ganga and its consequences -- were valid.

After the disaster unfolded, the members of the NGRBA tried to raise the matter with the government. They also sought a brief meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the issue and seek an early meeting of the Authority.

But neither of their requests was granted.

Meanwhile, Swami Gyanswaroop Sanand has been on a fast for 100 days in an attempt to draw the attention of the government to the plight of Ganga.

Sanand was formerly known as Dr G D Agrawal and he has served with distinction at IIT Kanpur and with the Central Pollution Control Board.

But the government has chosen to ignore the fast as well as the issues raised by the Swami.

Under these circumstances, the above mentioned members felt compelled to resign from the 'ineffective' board.

Image: A devotee takes a dip in the Ganga