Haridwar:
The Centre’s initiative to get ‘Gangajal’ delivered by Indian Postal Services at doorsteps has not gone down well with saints, who have strongly opposed the move. Slamming the government for using e-commerce platform to sell the holy water, the saints in this holy city on Wednesday passed a "censure motion."
They even threatened to move the Supreme Court if the government doesn’t stop the commercialisation of ‘Gangajal’.
"This is Hindustan. Ganga is our mother and the soul of over 100 crores Indians. Selling mother is not just a sin, but a greatest sin. Ganga is our faith. We condemn the scheme launched by the government. If they don't stop it, we will move to the Supreme Court," Swami Achyutanand Teerth Ji Maharaj told ANI after their proceeding was over.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "If Gangajal from Haridwar and Rishikesh reaches to villages of the country, it's a good thing. It will benefit the rural areas. We are changing the face of the country through the postal department."
According to reports, some of the e-commerce websites have already implemented the plan to provide ‘Gangajal’. The websites reportedly charge Rs 299 for a litre bottle sourced from Gomukh, the place from where the river originates.
