Ganga Army | Latest Burning Issues

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GANGA ARMY?

In January 2019, when the Uttar Pradesh government organises the Kumbh Mela, it will have a special unit to help: a volunteer force of ex-servicemen. The Ganga Task Force (GTF), specially trained by the Ministry of Defence

NOTES

It consists of 3 companies of over 100 men each to be stationed at Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi, with the Battalion headquarters at Allahabad.
It is formed with the approval of Ministry of Defence and trained by the Defence ministry. (They have also been trained by the Central Pollution Control Board to measure the health of the river.)
They will be in force till December 2020.

MANDATES OF THE FORCE

Crowd management during Kumbh Mela
Spread awareness on keeping the river clean
Stop people and industry from polluting the river
Assisting during floods/natural calamity in the region
Planting trees to check soil erosion
Patrolling sensitive river areas for biodiversity protection.

GANGA TASK FORCE

Part of territorial army (The Territorial Army is a part of Regular Army. It was set up after the Territorial Army Act was passed in 1948.)
Created through an executive order in 2014
Didn’t have a proper defined mandate

HENCE GOVERNMENT CAME UP WITH A NEW BILL

The draft Bill for protection of the Ganga
Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation has prepared draft Bill which proposes setting up armed Ganga Protection Corps (GPC) to arrest any person who has committed offence of polluting River Ganga punishable under this law.

IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE BILL

The Bill calls for National Ganga Council and National Ganga Rejuvenation Authority to enforce law and protect Ganga River.

KEY FEATURES OF THIS BILL

Cognizable offences marked in this Bill: Construction activities causing obstruction in river, withdrawal of ground water for industrial or commercial consumption from land fronting river and its tributaries, commercial fishing or aqua culture in river and its tributaries, discharging untreated or treated sewage into the river.

GANGA PROTECTION CORPS (GPC)

The draft Bill envisages GPC as armed force constituted and maintained by Central government.
It gives powers to armed GPC personnel to arrest any person who has committed offence punishable under this Act and take such person in custody to the nearest police station
For this GPC will follow Code of Criminal Procedure (CrCP).GPC personnel will be provided by Ministry of Home Affairs and will be deployed by National Ganga Rejuvenation Authority. This is almost similar provisions as in the Environment Protection Act 1986, but creation of GPC is new.

PUNISHMENT

The draft Bill proposes imprisonment for 2 years or fine of Rs 2 lakh or both for commercial fishing or aqua culture activities in Ganga and any of its tributaries. Similarly, it provides two-year imprisonment or fine up to Rs 50 lakh or both for construction of permanent structure for residential, commercial and residential purposes in active flood plain area of Ganga River. It proposes 5 year prison term or fine of Rs. 50,000 per day or both for person or municipal authority which establishes or takes any steps to set up any industrial or residential or commercial premises or structure near Ganga which may result in discharge of any sewage or trade effluent into river.

BACKGROUND

Government had constituted committee under retired judge of Allahabad High Court Justice Girdhar Malviya in July 2016. It had submitted draft Bill named The National River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Bill, 2017.