Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, November 28
Water of holy Ganga river reached pilgrimage centre at Bodh Gaya on Monday through 150 km long pipeline.
The Rs 4165 crore project will enable civic authorities to supply Ganga water lifted from Mokama in Patna district to 7.5 lakh households.
Chief MInister Nitish Kumar, who was the first consumer of Ganga water at the residence Naresh Prasad and Vinod Prasad in ward number 19 of Rajgir, a tourist centre said every person would be supplied 135 litres of Ganga water daily through the Ganga water supply scheme.
NItish said the pilgrims visiting the Buddhist centres of Bodh Gaya and Rajgir and Hindus visiting the Vishnupad temple and performing annual PInd Daan would get Ganga water for religious ceremonies free.He hoped all hotels,guest houses and educational institutions,including the Nalanda International University would get Ganga water.
He claimed this was the first scheme of its kind to “store,treat and supply” flood water of the Ganga for drinking purposes after lifting it from Mokama.150 kms away.He said three districts,Nalanda,Nawada and Gaya,all drought prone would benefit from the scheme and water crisis in these districts would ease.
Chief Minister said Ganga water would be used for bathing,cooking and everything.Scheme would also help enrich ground water table.Floods in the North Bihar would be over as the flooded water would be supplied to the water starved areas of South Bihar.
From Mokama, Ganga waters are stored in a treatment plant at Tetar on the outskirts of Bodh Gaya and then supplied to 72 wards in the religious and spiritual town .
People’s representatives present at the programme demanded Ganga waters should be supplied to neighbouring Aurangabad district too as the district too faced water crisis.
