Hundreds of sadhus march to Delhi for clean Yamuna
April 2nd, 2011 - 8:19 pm ICT by IANS
Agra, April 2 (IANS) Hundreds of sadhus, on a march to demand release of water into the drying and polluted Yamuna and cleaning of the river, left for the national capital Saturday after camping overnight in Agra.
The mendicants camped in the Taj city for a day Friday and held a Mahapanchayat to unanimously demand release of water into the Yamuna from various barrages upstream. They began their foot march March 2 from the Sangam - the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna - in Allahabad.
The sadhus reached Agra Friday after covering 891 km, walking through smaller towns and villages along the Yamuna bank. They were led by Bharatiya Kisan Union national president Bhanu Pratap Singh and the convener of Yamuna Bachao campaign, Swami Jai Krishan Das.
The ascetics announced at their Mahapanchayat, attended by thousands at the historic Hathi Ghat across the majestic Agra Fort, that they would not leave Delhi until fresh water was released into the river and firm assurances for its clean-up were given from the highest level.
The river has died a premature death due to official apathy, the sadhus said and urged the people of Agra and the farmers to reach Delhi in lakhs by April 15.
Interestingly, hundreds of Muslims led by Maulanas and clerics and supported by the Agra Qazi and Sikhs led by their gyanis at the Mahapanchayat offered full support to efforts to save the river.
A memorandum addressed to the prime minister was presented to the city magistrate. The memorandum demands release of downstream cities’ quota of the Yamuna water, tapping of drains in Delhi, implementation of various recommendations of the Central Pollution Control Board and cleaning of the river.
Agra MP Ram Shankar Katheria and Mathura MP Jayant Choudhary have already pledged full support to the rally.
A delegation from Mathura and Vrindavan met President Pratibha Patil on Friday to demand cleaning of the Yamuna river.
The sadhus and devotees of Lord Krishna from Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Goverdhan have been joined by groups of farmers who are members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
BJP state president Surya Pratap Sahi met the Yamuna activists Friday evening and offered full support. Sahi assured the sadhus that the BJP would include river cleaning in its election manifesto.
- Hundreds of ascetics march to save Yamuna - Feb 27, 2011
- Save Yamuna campaign: March reaches Vrindavan - Apr 05, 2011
- Agra battles water crisis as Yamuna is highly polluted - Jan 17, 2011
- Hundreds join Save Yamuna rally in Agra - Mar 27, 2011
- Yamuna above danger mark in Agra - Aug 21, 2011
- A riot of colours in Vrindavan - Mar 08, 2012
- Yamuna clean-up operation begins in Taj city - Apr 20, 2012
- 19 years on, water woes continue to haunt Taj city - May 21, 2012
- 'Recognise Yamuna as heritage entity' (April 18 is World Heritage Day) - Apr 17, 2011
- As Yamuna overflows, Vrindavan celebrates Pulin Utsav - Sep 25, 2010
- Taj in danger from dry Yamuna, delegation tells president - Mar 24, 2011
- Yamuna nears danger mark in Agra - Aug 28, 2010
- 73 Mathura villages join battle against Yamuna pollution - Jan 10, 2011
- Fish deaths alarm Mathura - Jan 10, 2011
- Flooded Yamuna brings on Janmashtami fervour in Braj - Sep 01, 2010
Tags: agra fort, ascetics, bhanu, central pollution control board, ghat, jayant, kisan, krishan, lakhs, mathura, mendicants, pollution control board, pratap singh, president pratibha patil, qazi, sadhus, sangam, vrindavan, yamuna river, yamuna water