All for a cleaner Ganga | Fusion - WeRIndia

Have you heard of Vikas Chandra aka Guddu Baba? He dedicated himself to clean the holy river of Ganga. Many people consider the river to holy and they even revere her as Ganga Maa, said Guddu Baba when asked why he chose this mission.

In order to clean up the river, he did many things. From cremating unclaimed cadavers found floating in the Ganges to helping activate dysfunctional sewage treatment plants along its course, it is all for a cleaner Ganga.

He began his mission in 1998. Chandra who was an environmental activist got the idea to clean the river when he noticed middle aged man bathing in sewage filled waters of Ganga in Patna. Chandra asked the man why he was doing it and he replied that he was performing his wife’s last rites. The man said that he did not have enough money to go to main stream of river which was cleaner.

Chandra was shocked to see such an incident. In 2000, he tried a lot to draw attention of authorities towards the river. In Patna, he went on a 48-hour fast. He also organized many rallies. He even filed PIL.

However, that was not enough. When he found hundreds of dead bodies on the banks near Patna Medical College and Hospital, he took more aggressive steps.

He created a photograph chain by taking pictures of dead bodies and asking the government to give them proper cremation. The High Court finally took notice of the issue after a long fight and passed an order that unclaimed bodies were the responsibility of government.

He also focused on medical waste being dumped into the river. With his efforts, an incinerator has been installed for the treatment of the waste near PMCH. Chandra also managed to revive the three dysfunctional sewage treatment plans which were setup in 1986. The STPs at Beur, Saidpur and Pahari are functional because of him.

Image Reference: TheBetterIndia