Ban Meat, Liquor Consumption In Holy Towns Along Narmada River: MP CM Mohan Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also emphasised using advanced technologies for solid waste management and monitoring and proposed a 'parikrama path' for devotees along the river.

File photo of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav

Source : PTI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has directed officials to ensure that meat and liquor are prohibited in and around religious towns along the Narmada River, considered the state's lifeline. The Narmada River runs through 21 districts, 68 tehsils, 1138 villages, and 1126 ghats, and it is home to 430 ancient Shiva temples and two 'Shakti Peeths.'

During a meeting on Friday, Yadav emphasised prioritizing environmental protection in Amarkantak, Anuppur district, where the Narmada originates. "It must be ensured that meat and liquor are not consumed in and around the religious towns and places located on the banks of the Narmada River, " he said, news agency PTI reported.

"Future settlements and land should be identified away from the Narmada river's origin and a satellite city should be developed. Sewage should not be released into the Narmada. Work on it must be done within a time limit," Yadav also said.

CM Mohan Yadav Highlights Importance Of Advanced Technologies

Yadav also stressed the importance of using advanced technologies for solid waste management and suggested deploying satellite imagery and drones to monitor activities along the river. He called for a ban on machine-based mining along the Narmada, noting that it is the only river globally where devotees perform 'parikrama' (circumambulation).

He proposed that work should be done in a phased manner to develop a 'parikrama path' for the convenience of devotees to make it a major religious and tourism activity.

"Activities for infrastructure development should be started through local panchayats and committees by marking places on the Parikrama Path. Self-help groups and local youth should be encouraged to develop homestays with the arrangement of food etc for people undertaking parikrama of the river," Yadav said, PTI reported.

Of the river’s total length of 1,312 kilometers, 1,079 kilometers flow through Madhya Pradesh.