Sun Jan 04 16:06:29 UTC 2026: Okay, here’s a summary of the text followed by a rewritten news article:

Summary:

The Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh, India, has criticized the Namami Gange Mission, alleging a significant shortfall in sewage treatment infrastructure despite over a decade of implementation and substantial funding. The SP claims that the mission is far from achieving its target of treating 7,000 million liters per day (MLD) of sewage, with a gap of over 3,000 MLD, particularly in major cities like Kanpur, Varanasi, and Prayagraj. The SP alleges that many Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are either not installed, non-functional, or underperforming, leading to continued pollution of the Ganga River. They also cited conflicting data regarding installed STP capacity and accused the mission of significant delays in project completion.

News Article:

Namami Gange Mission Faces Scrutiny as Opposition Alleges Infrastructure Shortfall

Lucknow, India – January 4, 2026 – The Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh has launched a scathing critique of the central government’s flagship Namami Gange Mission, claiming a significant deficit in sewage treatment capacity despite years of effort and extensive investment.

According to SP spokesperson Ram Pratap Singh, the Namami Gange mission aimed to treat 7,000 million liters per day (MLD) of sewage by December 2026, preventing untreated wastewater from entering the Ganga River. However, Singh alleges that approximately 45% of the necessary sewage treatment infrastructure remains uninstalled or non-functional. “Despite over a decade of implementation and massive funding, a persistent 3,194 MLD gap remains, equivalent to the entire wastewater capacity of cities like Kolkata or Chennai,” Singh stated. He also pointed out inconsistencies in the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s data regarding operational STP capacity.

The SP highlighted specific failures in major cities along the Ganga. In Kanpur, the Bingawan STP, designed to treat both municipal sewage and tannery waste, is consistently flagged as non-compliant. In Varanasi, despite the presence of several STPs, the city still faces shortfalls during peak sewage loads, according to SP spokesperson Nasser Salim.

Salim further alleged that of the 203 STP projects sanctioned under Namami Gange, targeting a total of 6,255 MLD of domestic sewage treatment, only 127 have been completed, delivering a mere 3,446 MLD.

The Namami Gange Programme, launched in 2014, is a central government initiative to clean, conserve, and rejuvenate the Ganga River. The SP’s allegations raise serious questions about the mission’s progress and effectiveness in tackling pollution. The allegations come at a sensitive time as 2026 is the target date to complete the mission. The central government has yet to issue a formal response to the SP’s claims.

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