Varanasi, Nov 12 (PTI) Regular cleaning of Ganga ghats, sewage treatment, tapping of drains and removal of floating waste from the river helped Varanasi secure the third position nationally in the Best Riverfront Town category of the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26, municipal officials said on Thursday.
However, the ranking drew criticism from Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Ajay Rai, who questioned the cleanliness of the Ganga in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency, alleging that untreated sewage and drains continued to pollute the river.
He also said Varanasi had earlier topped the ranking, which has gone down this time.
The Varanasi Municipal Corporation has also been separately disposing of religious offerings collected from the ghats and using them to manufacture compost and incense sticks, they said.
Officials said the cleaning of three stretches of Ganga ghats, tapping of drains to prevent wastewater from entering the river, treatment of sewage through sewage treatment plants (STPs) and deployment of trash skimmer machines to remove floating waste were among the key measures behind the achievement.
The city has consistently featured among the top-performing cities in six surveys conducted since 2020, they added.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister A K Sharma, Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday, officials said.
Tiwari described the recognition as “a matter of pride for the people of Varanasi” and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s guidance, along with the efforts of sanitation workers and aware citizens.
Nagpal said, “Maintaining the cleanliness and uninterrupted flow of the Ganga ghats remains a priority for the municipal corporation.”
“The civic body would further strengthen its sanitation system through technology and public participation,” he added.
Reacting to the recognition, Rai, a former Uttar Pradesh Congress president, questioned the change in the award category from the earlier ‘Ganga Town Award’ to ‘Best Riverfront Town’.
“Changing the name and category of awards will not change the actual condition of the Ganga,” he said, alleging that the river’s cleanliness remained a matter of concern in the prime minister’s constituency.
Rai recalled that Modi had emotionally linked his political journey to the Ganga after becoming the MP from Varanasi, saying that he had been called by “Maa Ganga”.
He said the city had earlier secured the top position in the category but had now slipped to third place, and urged the government to introspect instead of publicising its achievements.
The Congress leader alleged that problems relating to drains discharging into the river, untreated sewage and the connection of households to the sewer network persisted. Referring to cases related to Ganga pollution before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), he also raised questions over drain tapping and sewage management in the city.
He cited the NGT’s intervention in matters concerning the tent city in the Ganga floodplain and a proposed alternative canal involving excavation of sand between Assi Ghat and Rajghat, and sought answers from the government.
Rai also questioned cruise operations on the Ganga and alleged dumping of civil waste into the river, saying that its environmental health, water quality and aquatic life should be protected before promoting it as a hub of tourism and commercial activities.
He asked when all drains discharging into the Ganga would be completely stopped, when sewage treatment arrangements would become fully effective and when reports on the river’s water quality would be made public.
“The Ganga is not merely a tourist destination or a means of winning awards. It is a matter of faith for crores of people and a lifeline,” Rai said, adding that cleanliness could not be established through decorations, lighting and cruise operations at the ghats.
He said the river could be considered truly clean only when sewage discharge stopped, and its water became fit for bathing and ritual sipping.
The government was entitled to celebrate the award, he said, but it should not be treated as a final certificate of the Ganga’s cleanliness. PTI COR KIS NB
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