Patil Charts Next Steps For Ganga Rejuvenation Drive

26 Jun 2025 CW Team

Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil has used the fifteenth meeting of the Empowered Task Force on Ganga conservation to set sharper, technology-led targets for a “cleaner, future-proof” river. Reviewing progress under the Namami Gange programme, he praised the faster rollout of infrastructure—ten projects in Bihar alone since the last review—and noted that tighter financial controls at the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) have cut paperwork, solved tax disputes and adopted insurance surety bonds to ease contractors’ cash flow.

To lock in gains, NMCG has drafted two field protocols: one to keep every drain’s effluent at zero untreated discharge, the other to preserve existing interception-and-diversion structures. Patil ordered District Ganga Committees to oversee the rules and maintain “constant vigilance”.

On treatment plants, the Minister insisted that safety drills and third-party audits become routine. Premier institutes such as IIT-BHU’s SLCR and IIT-Delhi’s Centre of Excellence will test performance, while NMCG’s online dashboard will track outputs in real time.

The meeting also launched two science-based initiatives: Riverathon 1.0, a national hackathon with Amity University on LiDAR-guided floodplain mapping, biodiversity and disaster tools; and eight “Status and Trends” booklets that chart the ecological health of major Ganga tributaries from the Ramganga to the Sone, produced with the Wildlife Institute of India.

Senior officials from the power, tourism, urban affairs and environment ministries, along with representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar, pledged co-ordinated action on resource adequacy, transmission clearances and forest permissions to ensure that the river’s revival stays on course.

Equipment

11 Dec 2025

Caterpillar Debuts Three New Cat Excavators at EXCON 2025

Caterpillar Inc., a global leader in construction and mining machinery, strengthened its commitment to India’s infrastructure growth with the debut of three new Cat® hydraulic excavators at EXCON 2025, held from December 9–13 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre. The new models—Cat 321, Cat 322 and Cat 324—mark a significant step forward in delivering efficient, digital-ready equipment tailored for India’s evolving construction needs.Designed to support sustainability and productivity on modern jobsites, the machines feature advanced powertrains and intelligent electrohy..

JK Tyre Expands OTR Lineup with Four New Launches at EXCON 2025

JK Tyre & Industries, one of India’s leading tyre manufacturers, introduced four new Off-the-Road (OTR) tyres at the 13th edition of CII EXCON 2025, South Asia’s largest construction equipment exhibition, underway at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre. The latest additions strengthen the company’s OTR portfolio and reaffirm its focus on delivering advanced mobility solutions for construction, mining and industrial operations.The new tyres were unveiled by R Mukhopadhyay, Director (R&D), JK Tyre. Among the highlights was the debut of the SKY GRIP, a specialised tyre des..

ACE, Sanghvi Movers Ink MOU to Boost India-Made Heavy Crane Adoption

Action Construction Equipment (ACE), the world’s largest pick-and-carry crane manufacturer and a leading Indian construction equipment maker, has entered into a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Sanghvi Movers, Asia’s largest and the world’s fifth-largest crane rental company. The partnership aims to accelerate the deployment of indigenously manufactured heavy slew cranes, particularly truck cranes and crawler cranes, across large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects in India.The alliance aligns strongly with the Government of India’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” and “M..