Haridwar, Dec 5 (UNI) His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silivia of Sweden republic, on Thursday, inaugurated a 14 mld. Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at village Sarai, 5 km. from Haridwar city.
The royals arrived today on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand.
In the morning, they performed pooja at the Ganga Ghat at Rishikesh and then reached Haridwar to dedicate the STP to the nation.
Addressing the inaugural function of the STP, RR Mishra, the director-general of the 'Clean Ganga Mission,' said that the Sarai STP was the first hybrid annuity project, based on public private partnership, using very advanced eco friendly technology.
"The plant, incurring an expenditure of Rs. 41.6 crore, has been completed in record time, six months before the schedule date. After this plant, another plant at Jagjeetpur with the capacity of treating 45 mld. sewage, will be commissioned very soon. Our plan is to build STPs with capacity of treating 127 mld. in the district", said Mr Mishra.
Welcoming their majesties, Gajendra Singh Shekhwat, Union minister for water resources, said that Sweden was a pioneer in using sophisticated technology for water conservation. "Sharing of experiences and technology with Sweden will greatly help us in our water conservation projects", remarked Mr Shekhawat.
On the occasion, TS Rawat, the chief minister of the state, observed that Ganga not only the represented the soul of India but was also a source of sustenance for 45% of the population of the country. "Namami Gange was a flagship project of Modi Government launched with the objective of ensuring continuity and cleanliness of the holy river", said Mr Rawat.
His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf appreciated the work done for cleaning the rivers for the good of the people. "We shall provide all possible co-operation for the cleanliness of water resources in the country and for the conservation of aquatic bio diversity", remarked the King.
After inaugurating the STP, the King and the Queen left for the Jim Corbett National Park, famous for its tigers and forest bio diversity.
UNI XC RP1905