The civic body of the town is following in the footsteps of careless citizens and polluting the Ganga.

If the encroachments on the bank of the river were not enough, Bhagalpur Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started disposing of garbage collected in the city into the Ganga. Dumping garbage in the river used to be a common practice till five or six months ago. It was stopped after the people raised a hue and cry.

The practice has resumed despite a ban by Allahabad High Court even on immersion of idols in the river to prevent pollution. Kamlesh Singh, a lawyer, said: “The Allahabad High Court has banned all dumping in the Ganga, including the immersion of idols but the BMC continues to do so.”

The carelessness of the civic body has raised a furore in the official and bureaucratic circles of the district.

Bhagalpur divisional commissioner Minhaj Alam said: “I’m going to ask the circle officer concerned to lodge criminal cases against persons responsible for this.”

District magistrate Prem Singh Meena, too, has raised his voice against the actions of BMC. He has directed the municipal commissioner, Tarani Das, to immediately stop dumping of garbage in the river.

In May this year, Meena had asked BMC not to pollute the river and its banks by depositing garbage. At the time, mayor Deepak Bhubania had said the civic body had no other place to dispose of the garbage. But widespread criticism from the residents of the town had forced him to change his mind. Municipal commissioner Das was not available to comment.