Varanasi : A master plan has been made so that the devotees coming to Varanasi can take a boat ride in the Ganga without noise and pollution. Now from October 7, boats running on diesel engines will be closed in the Ganga river. The Municipal Corporation has already issued a notice to the sailors so that they should run their boats on CNG instead of diesel engine. Out of about 1700 boats running on the river Ganga in Varanasi, about 500 are diesel engine boats, which falls on November 19, Dev Diwali. Will be converted into boats with CNG engines.
Decision to completely stop operation of diesel boats
It has been decided to completely stop the operation of diesel boats in Ganga, hence Varanasi Municipal Corporation has extended the last date for installation of CNG engines for boats to October 7. According to sources, a total of 864 diesel engine boats are being converted into CNG engine boats by the Municipal Corporation through an agency. So far 735 diesel boats have been converted into CNG engine boats. Since 129 sailors have not yet installed CNG engines in their boats, the Municipal Corporation Commissioner has extended the last date for this to October 7. Additional Municipal Commissioner Sumit Kumar said that notices are being given to 129 sailors that they will do so within time. Get CNG engines installed in their boats before the limit, otherwise legal action will be taken against them under the provisions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
500 diesel engine boats to be converted into CNG engine by Dev Diwali
About 500 out of 1700 diesel engine boats plying on river Ganga in Varanasi will be converted into CNG engine boats by Dev Diwali falling on November 19. This exercise will help rid the river of noise and air pollution caused by diesel engine boats. Varanasi Smart City General Manager D Vasudevam said that CNG engines have already been installed in 177 of these big and small boats. The work, which started about nine months ago, is being carried out by GAIL India Limited with a budget of ₹29 crore as part of its corporate social responsibility.
Big boat cost around Rs 2.5 lakh
CNG engines are environment friendly and economical. Installing it in a small boat costs Rs 1.5 lakh and a big boat costs around Rs 2.5 lakh. A free CNG kit is also being installed on each boat. There is a “daughter station” on the ghat itself. A dispenser has also been installed at the ghat. Sailors say that they are covering double the distance with CNG engines at half the cost. Tourists are also feeling good as their boat ride has now become pleasant.
What is “Daughter Station”, CNG will also reduce pollution.
A “daughter station” is one that is not connected to natural gas pipelines. At these stations, CNG is transported through mobile cascades and then delivered to vehicles through CNG dispensers. CNG based engines reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7% to 11% compared to diesel and petrol engines. Is. Apart from this, pollution is also reduced due to the absence of gases like sulfur dioxide. When a boat is run on a diesel engine, poisonous smoke comes out which is very harmful for the people living nearby, whereas this is not the case with CNG.