New Delhi:

Thousands of devotees gathered at the banks of the river Ganga across India on Tuesday to celebrate Makar Sankranti 2025, a festival marking the Sun’s transition into Capricorn and the onset of Uttarayan. From Kolkata’s Babughat to Varanasi’s Ganga ghats and Haridwar’s Har Ki Pauri devotees braved the chilly weather to take holy dips and offer prayers.

In West Bengal, devotees performed rituals at Babughat in Kolkata, taking a holy dip in the river. Similarly, the ghats of Varanasi and Patna witnessed large crowds engaging in traditional practices, with families, including children, participating enthusiastically despite the cold.

In Uttarakhand, devotees gathered at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar to perform the customary Ganga snan (holy bath) on this auspicious occasion. In Rajasthan, devotees offer prayers at Balaji temple in Jaipur on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

In Bihar, people in thousands visited Ganga Ghat in Patna to take a dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Children along with their parents and grandparents could be seen taking a dip in the cold water of the Ganges.

Vijaya Laxmi, a devotee, said, “May we continue to celebrate Makar Sankranti joyously every year, and may everyone’s wishes come true.”

She said that “faith in God” inspires people to endure the cold a dip in the Ganges during the chilly weather.

In Prayagraj, the first Amrit Snan of Maha Kumbh 2025 on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti began on Tuesday as Sadhus from Sadhus of Mahanirvani Panchayati Akhada took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam.

Makar Sankranti celebrated across the country with great enthusiasm on January 14, marks the Sun’s transition into Capricorn from Sagittarius, heralding the beginning of Uttarayan.

Bathing in holy rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna during Makar Sankranti is believed to cleanse sins and bestow spiritual merit.

The day is also dedicated to acts of charity and devotion. Traditional dishes such as sesame-jaggery laddus, khichdi, and other festive treats grace the occasion. Kite flying, symbolising vibrant energy, and cheer, is a cherished tradition on this day.

The festival is known by various names in different parts of the country such as Pongal, Bihu, and Maghi.

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New Delhi:

The National Green Tribunal has observed that the health of crores of pilgrims visiting the Maha Kumbh fair will be impacted if effective steps are not taken to prevent the discharge of sewage into the Ganga in Prayagraj.

The 40-day Maha Kumbh Mela, expected to draw millions of devotees from across the globe, is scheduled to commence on January 14 with the Makar Sankranti ‘snan’ (holy bath) and will conclude on February 26 with the Mahashivratri snan.

The green body was hearing a plea claiming 50 drains were discharging sewage directly into river Ganga, in an eight-km stretch from Rasulabad in the city to the Sangam (confluence of river Ganga and Yamuna).

In September this year, the tribunal had formed a high-powered committee (HPC) under the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and directed it to submit a report about the preventive measures by November 23.

In an order dated November 29, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, “The HPC has filed no such report nor any written request has been received from it expressing any difficulty in filing the report or seeking extension of time.” The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel noted the submissions of the counsel for Uttar Pradesh, as per which, there was a typographical error in a communication sent to him by the chief secretary on November 28 about seeking an extension for filing the report.

“Even if we accept such a submission, we find that though the order was passed by the tribunal on September 23, 2024, yet it appears that till November 7, no effective action was taken by the HPC,” the tribunal said noting the communication.

It underlined that the issue of river Ganga’s pollution was a “time-sensitive matter”.

“The issue relates to stopping the discharge of untreated sewage in river Ganga before the commencement of the Kumbh Mela. Crores of persons will be visiting the mela and their health and well-being will be affected if no effective steps are taken to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage in the river. We expect the HPC to be sensitive to this issue,” the tribunal said.

It expressed dissatisfaction with the government counsel’s request seeking 15 days to submit the report.

“Counsel for the state of UP has submitted that the report has already been prepared and it has been placed before the chief secretary for appraisal and signature. If that is so, we failed to understand why 15 days have been sought for filing the report,” the tribunal said.

“Considering the request made by the counsel, a week is granted to file the report,” it added.

The NGT said though it was inclined to direct the personal presence of the principal secretary of the state’s environment department, it was restraining itself, considering the counsel’s assurance about “prompt action” and no delays in the future.

The matter has been posted on December 9 for further proceedings.

In the hearing dated July 1, the tribunal, noting a report by the UP Pollution Control Board, had observed, “The action taken report reflects that the water of the river in the relevant stretch is not of drinkable quality for ‘achman’ purposes.” The plea has been filed by advocate Saurabh Tiwary.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a stern warning to authorities in West Bengal after finding the entire stretch of the Ganga River in the state unfit for bathing due to high levels of faecal coliform bacteria. The NGT, a judicial body tasked with environmental protection, observed that a staggering 258.67 million litres per day of untreated sewage is flowing directly into the river, posing a significant health risk.

This alarming discovery came to light during a hearing regarding the ongoing efforts to prevent, control, and reduce pollution in the Ganga River across various states. The NGT was reviewing a report submitted by West Bengal in response to earlier directives aimed at addressing this critical issue.

Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson of the NGT bench, expressed deep concern after examining reports filed by the District Magistrates of several West Bengal districts, including North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Nadia, Malda, Hooghly, Purba Burdwan, Howrah, Purba Medinipur, and South 24 Parganas. The reports revealed a lack of adequate sewage treatment facilities across the state, with some districts, like Purba Medinipur, shockingly lacking even a single Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).

The NGT has warned the West Bengal authorities of potential fines if they fail to demonstrate significant progress in tackling the issue of untreated sewage flowing into the Ganga.

“On perusal of these reports, we, in general, find that no adequate facilities for treatment of sewage generated per day have been set up and that even the timeline for achieving the target of 100 per cent treatment of sewage has not been disclosed,” the bench, also comprising judicial member Sudhir Agarwal and expert members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, said.

In an order passed on February 21, the bench said, it was “surprising ” that not even a single Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was set up in some districts like Purba Medinipur.

“The condition that has been reflected in these reports is far from satisfactory and shows that 258.67 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage is directly flowing in the river Ganga in the state of West Bengal,” it said.

The green panel directed the DMs of nine districts, through which the river’s mainstream flowed, to file affidavits setting a deadline for achieving the target of 100 per cent treatment of sewage generated every day.

The DMs also have to disclose the manner and extent of utilisation of funds received from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), besides steps taken for demarcation of floodplains in their districts, the tribunal said.

“We also find that the entire stretch of river Ganga in West Bengal contains high fecal coliform, making the water unfit for bathing and thereby not meeting primary water quality criteria,” it said.

The tribunal directed the NMCG to carry out a performance audit of each of the districts on generation and treatment of waste and the extent of pollution each was causing in the river.

“We do not find any progress in the reduction of discharge of pollutants to the River Ganga in any of the districts. Therefore, if in the next report sufficient progress is not shown, then the tribunal may not have any option but to impose Environmental Compensation (EC),” the tribunal said. It ordered the DMs concerned and the NMCG to file fresh reports within eight weeks and posted the matter for further proceedings on May 2. 

(With inputs from PTI)