Swami Atmabodhanand, who wants natural flow restored, gets assurance on ending sand mining

A 27-year-old hermit in Haridwar, Swami Atmabodhanand, has broken his 194-day fast in protest against sand mining and the upcoming dams on key rivers that feed the Ganga. Atmabodhanand had begun fasting days after G.D. Agrawal, 86, a former professor and hermit, died of a heart attack on October 11 after a 111-day fast.

The young ascetic, based at Matri Sadan in Haridwar, said he had decided to break his fast after “assurances” from Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director-General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, that laws banning sand mining on certain stretches of the Ganga would henceforth be enforced.

‘Not enough’

While the Namami Gange Mission works to prevent sewage and industrial waste from polluting the Ganga, several actvist groups have accused the government of not taking steps to ensure natural flows in the river.

Allowing hydropower projects in Uttarakhand, they say, blocks the natural water flow and renders sewage-cleaning projects ineffective. “After a meeting in April, we were assured that laws regarding sand mining would be strictly enforced and that the Uttarakhand government’s policy on hydropower projects would be reviewed,” Atmabodhanand, who hails from Kerala and studied computer science, told The Hindu over phone.

“We were also told that because of elections, many policy decisions couldn’t be enforced. However, if these assurances aren’t followed through, we will see what can be done next,” he said.

In his letter on May 4, Mr. Mishra wrote to Swami Shivanand, head of Matri Sadan that “…a decision relating to hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand is expected to be taken shortly….a special team has carried out inspections [in the Raiwala-Bhogpur stretch of river Ganga in Haridwar, where sand mining is prohibited] and Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand, has been requested to ensure compliance.”

The fasting activists had demanded that all hydroelectric projects along the Alaknanda, Dhauli Ganga, Mandakini and Pindar rivers (the streams and rivers that lead to the formation of the Ganga in Uttarakhand) be stopped, besides new legislation protecting the Ganga being enacted.