Swami Shivanand to launch stir against quarrying, again

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 30

Barely 10 days ago Matra Sadan ashram inmate Swami Atmabodhanand had given up his three-week-long agitation after getting assurance from district administrative officials over stern action over illegal quarrying.But alleging failure to adhere to the assurances from the administration side, from tomorrow onwards an indefinite agitation will get start at the ashram premises, 5 km from Haridwar city.

This time Matra Sadan ashram founder and spiritual head Swami Shivanandji will be himself observing the agitation.

Swami Shivanand is opposing the move by the state government to start quarrying in the district once again, without taking into consideration report of Environment Ministry.

Expressing displeasure over the state government’s initiative to open quarrying lots once again without environmental assessment report recommendations, Swami Shivanand said that he will start the agitation once again, as mass-scale quarrying has affected the local ecology.

Swami Shivanand said that the holy Ganga river bed is getting affected due to quarrying being carried out without any environmental considerations, which will not be tolerated by Matra Sadan and pro-Ganga activists.

Demand for ensuring conserving Kumbh mela zone by handing it to the Central Government, formation of a special investigation team for ensuring conservation of Kumbh mela land from quarrying, probe by a High Court judge regarding illegal nexus of Uttarakhand cabinet ministers, legislators, bureaucratic officials and politicians holding office of profit posts ,instant prohibition of quarrying on holy Ganga in Haridwar and making it mandatory for stone crushers to be minimum at 5 km distance from the holy Ganga river also are being made by Swami Shivanand.