'Floating corpses in Ganga, can only be termed unfortunate' says Jal Shakti Minister

New Delhi, May 11: Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on May 11 termed the incident of corpses found floating in Ganga river in Bihar as 'unfortunate' and asked concerned states to take immediate cognizance. A day after bodies of suspected Covid patients washed up on banks of Ganga in Bihar's Buxar, some unidentified corpses were found floating in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.

 

 

 

The local people, traumatized by the sight of floating human bodies in the Ganga, fear spreading of diseases in the area, which has not been spared by the ravaging Covid pandemic. Regarding the incident in Uttar Pradesh, local administration has initiated the probe. MP Singh, Ghazipur's District Magistrate has said "Our officers are present on the spot to investigate and ascertain where they came from. A probe into the matter is underway."

 

 

At the same time, about the incident in Bihar, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared through a tweet that "The incident of corpses found floating in Ganga in Buxar region of Bihar is unfortunate. This is definitely a matter of investigation. The Modi government is committed to the cleanliness 'mother' Ganga. This incident is unexpected. The concerned states should take immediate cognizance in this regard." Around a dozen of corpses were spotted in the Ganga river in Bihar's Buxar on Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

"10 to 12 corpses that were seen in Ganga came floating from a distance. It seems these corpses were floating for the last five to seven days. We do not have a tradition of immersing bodies in rivers. We are making arrangements to cremate these corpses," said KK Upadhyay, Buxar Sub Divisional Officer (SDO). Upadhyay said it is a matter of investigation to ascertain if these corpses came from Varanasi, Allahabad, or any other place.