Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, July 26: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh and MP Lok Sabha from Udhampur-Kathua-Doda constituency, has moved a proposal for cleaning river Devika which flows through Udhampur town. He has taken up the issue with Union Ministry of Environment for including river Devika under Government of India’s “National River Conservation Plan”.
In a letter addressed to Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, Dr. Jitendra Singh underlined the concern that over a period of time, due to increase in pollution from various sources including municipal sewage, river Devika has suffered heavy degradation and therefore deserves to be immediately taken up for cleaning and conservation. At present, no river in Jammu & Kashmir State is covered under the “National River Conservation Plan” and therefore taking up river Devika as the first river in the State under this plan will also send an encouraging and reassuring message to the people of the State, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, in addition to the environmental and ecological relevance of river Devika which flows through Udhampur town, there is also tremendous faith and sentiment attached to it, which too deserves to be addressed in the right spirit. Devika is also known as the younger sister of Holy Ganga, he recalled and referred to Nilmat Puran written in the 7th century by Nila Muni which mentions river Devika as a manifestation of Mother Goddess Parvati herself and states that river Devika flows for the benefit of the people of large areas situated between river Ravi and river Chenab. There is also another reference, according to which, river Devika appeared on Shiv Ratri and Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of Shiv Linga at eight places along the course of river Devika, he added.
Mitigating the damage and disregard of river Devika will not only be a service to the people of Udhampur but to the entire region which holds river Devika in the same esteem as river Ganga as far as performing of various spiritual rituals is concerned.
Scientifically also, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, ignoring the increasing pollution levels in this vital river at this stage could later lead to more serious hazards later including the risk of disease epidemics and floods due to overflowing because of raised river bed.
Follow our WhatsApp channel