Shankaracharya of Dwarka Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati in Sonari. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Nov. 5: Shankaracharya of Dwarka Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati today lauded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his decision to declare Ganga a national river and setting up a high-power Ganga river basin authority to stop its pollution and degradation.

Prime Minister’s office on Tuesday declared Ganga as India’s first national river and formed a separate river basin authority to monitor its cleanliness in the states through which it flows.

The spiritual leader, who is on a four-day visit to the steel city, appreciated the Prime Minister’s move and said that it was a historic decision. “Our long pending demand has been met, the credit for it should go to the Prime Minister. Ganga enjoys a position of reverence for the hindus and the river is personified as Goddess Ganga,” he said.

According to him, Ganga has a special place in the hearts and minds of all Indians. “The emotional link has come to the fore with the Prime Minister’s declaration,” said Shankaracharya.

Of the major rivers of India Ganga is the most polluted in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) load as it meanders through many states of India.

Last month, a delegation led by Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati and Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh met the Prime Minister demanding a status of national river for Ganga a national river and a board to control pollution of the river. They said huge amount of money is being spent on pollution control measures still the level of pollution is high.

The religious sect have come down to the steel city to create an awareness among people for making the river free from pollution. “An awareness campaign is required to make the river free from pollution,” he said.