Keralite Ganga to be face of TN's war on waste
Ganga Dileep, who has spearheaded many innovative initiatives including the successful Toilet Tales, (an initiative that maps public toilets in Thiruvananthapuram) in Pune and other parts of Kerala got this opportunity to work in Chennai from 2022.
Since then, a team led by Ganga has been working on various verticals of four slum rehabilitation projects in Chennai. 'I have worked in the constituency of Udayanidhi Stalin and we recovered a canal and helped rehabilitate the slum dwellers.
The Clean Tamil Nadu Company will work as a strategic and administrative backbone, providing leadership, policy direction, framing and approving guidelines along with inter-departmental coordination. This is a special and challenging opportunity for me,' said Ganga.
Born and brought up in Thiruvananthapuram, Ganga is the founder of Green Army under Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation - a voluntary-based initiative that promotes green protocol.
'The main challenge will be to bring together all the stakeholders, especially the informal sector in sanitation and waste management in Tamil Nadu. There are over 12,000 local self-government institutions in the state and unlike Kerala, the urban-rural divide is evident here. Urban areas like Chennai are densely populated, and compared with other metro cities and rural areas, have better waste management practices,' she said.
'I began my career in Kerala and the experience I gained from here is the foundation. Both the states are different and here the main difference I noticed is that Kerala is more into planning and here they focus on implementation. Both planning and implementation are important for any initiative to succeed,' she added.
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Mint
09-08-2025
- Mint
Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari ‘forcibly' enter Jharkhand Temple's inner chamber, booked
BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari and others were booked for 'forcibly' entering the inner chamber of the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar on August 2 and hurting religious sentiments, Jharkhand Police said. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following a complaint by temple priest Kartik Nath Thakur for "forcibly entering the inner shrine between 8.45 pm and 9 pm' during the holy month of 'Shravan' due to the heavy influx of devotees. "An FIR has been lodged at Baba Baidyanath Mandir Police Station against Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari, Kanshikanat Dubey, Sheshadri Dubey and others for entering the inner shrine of the temple, hurting religious tradition and sentiments and causing obstacles in government work by entering into a scuffle with police persons deployed for security reasons," an officer said. According to the complaint, the 'forcible entry' by the MPs and 'scuffle' with policemen led to fear and panic among thousands of devotees present and a stampede-like situation. Thakur said the FIR was registered on August 7. He also claimed that both the MPs entered the inner chamber during the 'kancha jal puja' ritual, resulting in disruptions during the prayer. While both the MPs did not respond to phone calls, Nishikant Dubey took to X and said: 'This case has been registered for worshipping... So far 51 cases have been registered against me. Tomorrow, I will go straight to the police station from Deoghar airport for my arrest.' During the month of 'Shravan', thousands of devotees known as 'Kanwariyas' embark on a 105-km pilgrimage from Sultanganj in Bihar to Deoghar, Jharkhand, to offer holy Ganga water at the Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple, one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas'. About 55 lakh 'Kanwariyas' have offered holy water at the temple during the ongoing month-long 'Shravan Mela' so far. Additionally, about two lakh devotees offered obeisance through 'Shighra Darshanam' (fast track) facility. The shrine registered an income of around ₹ 7.5 crore between July 11 and August 5, which consists of revenue from other temple sources. On August 31, 2022, an FIR was registered against nine people, including both the BJP MPs, for allegedly forcing Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials to provide clearance for their chartered flight to take off from Deoghar airport beyond the scheduled time. As per the complaint, all the nine persons violated safety standards by entering the ATC room at the Deogarh airport and 'forcibly taking clearance' for the take-off. The FIR had resulted in a spat on social media between Dubey and then Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri, who has earlier, too, locked horns with him on many occasions. The Supreme Court in January had confirmed the quashing of the case of criminal trespass registered against the MPs and others for entering the ATC room at Deoghar airport.
The Hindu
09-08-2025
- The Hindu
BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari booked for forcibly entering Baidyanath Temple's inner chamber
The Jharkhand Police on Friday (August 9, 2025) said it has registered an FIR against BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari and others for 'forcibly' entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar on August 2 and hurting religious sentiments. The FIR was lodged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita as per a complaint by temple priest Kartik Nath Thakur for 'forcibly entering the inner shrine on August 2 between 8.45 pm and 9 pm' despite a restriction on VIP or VVIP entry during the holy month of 'Shravan' in view of a large number of devotees. "An FIR has been lodged at Baba Baidyanath Mandir Police Station against Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari, Kanshikanat Dubey, Sheshadri Dubey and others for entering the inner shrine of the temple, hurting religious tradition and sentiments and causing obstacles in government work by entering into a scuffle with police persons deployed for security reasons," an officer told PTI. The 'forcible entry' by the MPs and 'scuffle' with policemen resulted in causing fear and panic among thousands of devotees present and a stampede-like situation, as per the complaint. Mr. Thakur said he had lodged the FIR on August 7. In the FIR, he also alleged that both the MPs entered the inner chamber during the 'kancha jal puja' ritual, resulting in disruptions during the prayer. While both MPs did not respond to phone calls, Nishikant Dubey, in a post on X, said: "This case has been registered for worshipping... So far 51 cases have been registered against me. Tomorrow, I will go straight to the police station from Deoghar airport for my arrest." During the month of 'Shravan', thousands of devotees known as 'Kanwariyas' embark on a 105-km pilgrimage from Sultanganj in Bihar to Deoghar, Jharkhand, to offer holy Ganga water at the Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple, one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas'. About 55 lakh 'Kanwariyas' have offered holy water at the temple during the ongoing month-long 'Shravan Mela' so far. Additionally, about two lakh devotees offered obeisance through 'Shighra Darshanam' (fast track) facility. The shrine registered an income of around ₹7.5 crore between July 11 and August 5, which includes revenue from other temple sources. This is not the first time the MPs have courted controversy. On August 31, 2022, an FIR was registered against nine people, including both the BJP MPs, for allegedly forcing Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials to provide clearance for their chartered flight to take off from Deoghar airport beyond the scheduled time. As per the complaint, all nine persons violated safety standards by entering the ATC room at the Deogarh airport and 'forcibly taking clearance' for the take-off. The FIR had resulted in a spat on social media between Mr. Dubey and then Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri, who has earlier, too, locked horns with him on many occasions. The Supreme Court in January had confirmed the quashing of the case of criminal trespass registered against the MPs and others for entering the ATC room at Deoghar airport.
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Business Standard
01-08-2025
- Business Standard
Talks on Ganga Water Treaty renewal with Bangladesh yet to begin: Govt
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