Agra, April 02: Hundreds of sadhus, on a march to demand release of water into the drying and polluted Yamuna and cleaning of the river, left for the national capital Saturday after camping overnight in Agra.
The mendicants camped in the Taj city for a day Friday and held a Mahapanchayat to unanimously demand release of water into the Yamuna from various barrages upstream. They began their foot march March 2 from the Sangam – the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna – in Allahabad.
The sadhus reached Agra Friday after covering 891 km, walking through smaller towns and villages along the Yamuna bank. They were led by Bharatiya Kisan Union national president Bhanu Pratap Singh and the convener of Yamuna Bachao campaign, Swami Jai Krishan Das.
The ascetics announced at their Mahapanchayat, attended by thousands at the historic Hathi Ghat across the majestic Agra Fort, that they would not leave Delhi until fresh water was released into the river and firm assurances for its clean-up were given from the highest level.
The river has died a premature death due to official apathy, the sadhus said and urged the people of Agra and the farmers to reach Delhi in lakhs by April 15.
Interestingly, hundreds of Muslims led by Maulanas and clerics and supported by the Agra Qazi and Sikhs led by their gyanis at the Mahapanchayat offered full support to efforts to save the river.
A memorandum addressed to the prime minister was presented to the city magistrate. The memorandum demands release of downstream cities’ quota of the Yamuna water, tapping of drains in Delhi, implementation of various recommendations of the Central Pollution Control Board and cleaning of the river.
Agra MP Ram Shankar Katheria and Mathura MP Jayant Choudhary have already pledged full support to the rally.
A delegation from Mathura and Vrindavan met President Pratibha Patil on Friday to demand cleaning of the Yamuna river.
The sadhus and devotees of Lord Krishna from Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Goverdhan have been joined by groups of farmers who are members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
BJP state president Surya Pratap Sahi met the Yamuna activists Friday evening and offered full support. Sahi assured the sadhus that the BJP would include river cleaning in its election manifesto.
—IAns