
Need to conserve Godavari river, make it pollution-free, says Bhujbal
Nashik: State minister for food and civil supplies Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday expressed the need to conserve Godavari river and make it pollution-free ahead of upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela.
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Speaking to journalists during his visit to TOI office in Nashik , Bhujbal said sewage is being released into Godavari river in around 20 locations in the city. "Hence, we should first stop the release of effluent into Godavari river," he said.
"There is a need to conserve the river and make it pollution-free ahead of forthcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela," said Bhujbal.
On June 14, Bhujbal visited Dwarka Circle along with officials from various departments.
He blamed both Nashik Municipal Corporation and the police authorities for not taking initiatives for traffic management at Dwarka Circle. Bhujbal also warned that he would sit there if things did not improve. A day after Bhujbal's visit, Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) conducted a drive against encroachment on both sides of the service roads in Dwarka Circle towards Mumbai Naka and towards Ozar from June 15 onwards.
The minister said things were improving as he did not find any traffic at Dwarka Circle on Friday. Bhujbal also expressed the need for the civic body to ensure that encroachment does not create hurdles for vehicular traffic on various city roads and junctions.
Bhujbal also said NMC should focus on smooth functioning of the traffic signals which should change to red or green as per the flow of vehicles.
Stating that Nashik city does not need vertical growth, Bhujbal said that instead of going for vertical development like Mumbai and Pune, focus should be on horizontal development of Nashik city.
Instead of bringing in polluted industries, focus should be on developing Nashik as a tourist destination, he said.
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