Kanpur (UP), Feb 23 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday lauded the efforts to clean river Ganga under the ambitious Namami Gange project launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the "success of Maha Kumbh shows the success of Namami Gange".

"Remember that the Ganga Action Plan was made in 1986, but by 2014 Maa Ganga became more polluted than before. The state of pollution was such that aquatic life in river Ganga was destroyed," said Adityanath.

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"At that time many questions were raised and today I can say the success of Maha Kumbh shows the success of Namami Gange," he added.

The Union government launched an integrated Ganga conservation mission called 'Namami Gange' in 2014 to arrest the pollution of river Ganga and revive it.

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The chief minister praised Prime Minister Modi's vision.

"The dream that the prime minister had seen in 2014 for Maa Ganga, today the success of Maha Kumbh has linked up with it and taken it to new heights. Aquatic animals are again visible in the Ganga river, dolphins are again visible, we are getting to see the uninterrupted and clean Ganga," said Adityanath.

"This represents our attachment to our heritage. The vision of heritage and development that PM Modi has given us, today we can see its real form at every level," he added.

Adityanath shifted focus to the city of Kanpur, once known as the "Manchester of the country" for its textile industry, but which faced decline due to a range of challenges.

"Kanpur, which was once called the Manchester of the country, was known for its textile industry, but people who had hatred for India and Indianness in their hearts, completely destroyed Kanpur and its entrepreneurship," said Adityanath.

"Industries in Kanpur were shut down, unemployment started increasing in Kanpur, a system was created. This Kanpur started looking like a deserted Kanpur, which was once counted among the four metropolises," he added.

Launching a scathing attack on the previous governments, the chief minister said, "The airport (in Kanpur) was shut down, the industries were shut down... Remember, if all this happened with Kanpur, what would (they) have done with the country, how would they not have looted the resources of the country and that is why I say again and again that though the British left the country, they left their mental successors ('manas uttaradhikari') to loot the country in this way."

"In the last 10 years, I have seen Kanpur changing. Today in Kanpur, to create an industrial environment here, defence corridor manufacturing work is going on again. In the next two-three months, Kanpur is going to develop again as a center for readymade garments," he added.

Adityanath also highlighted the improvement in infrastructure, including better air, road and rail connectivity.

The chief minister also spoke about Kanpur's urban development, citing the city's transformation into a metro city and smart city.

"Kanpur metro has started in 2021, the work of the first phase has been completed and in the next few months, we are going to inaugurate its second phase as well,' said Adityanath.

"Today Kanpur has become a metro city, it has also become a smart city. Today Kanpur has also become a city that is reviving its industry," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)