Calcutta, May 5: Worried by pollution levels in the Ganga in Bengal, which an activist said was the worst in India, Calcutta High Court today goaded the state to do more to cleanse the river while setting up a watchdog.

A 15-member committee, headed by the principal secretary to the Union environment ministry, will monitor the Bengal leg of the Ganga Action Plan (phase II) and hand the court a preliminary report within two months.

The court asked the state government to provide enough money to the corporations and municipalities so that they can carry out programmes to make the banks of the Ganga pollution-free.

“The civic bodies should take possible steps for the treatment of the sewerage and polluted water before letting it mix with the Ganga water,” the judges said.

The division bench was hearing a petition that had originally been moved before the Supreme Court by M.C. Mehta, the Magsaysay award-winning environmentalist. The apex court had referred the part relating to Bengal ? where the Ganga covers 250 km ? to the high court.

Environment activist Subhash Dutta, who pursued the case in the high court on behalf of the green lobby, told the judges the quality of Ganga water was worst in Bengal.

“Whereas in other states 500 coliform are found in one millilitre of water, in some places in Bengal it is 25 lakh per millilitre,” Dutta said.

“The quality of the water would be better if the municipal authorities are forced to set up treatment plants of the sewerage water.”

He added that constant vigil was necessary to ensure the river wasn’t polluted further.

Dutta is on the monitoring committee, which includes officials from the state and central pollution control boards and the forest and environment departments.