Uttarakhand Minister Bishan Singh Chufal on Friday made a strong pitch for the inclusion of the Gangas tributaries in the Namami Gange project, saying 100 per cent cleaning of the river is not possible until its tributaries are also cleaned.

He said other Himalayan rivers flowing through the State like the Kali, Gaula and Rispana should also be treated as Gangas tributaries because all of them merge in it at one point or the other.

He said Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat responded positively to his suggestions and assured that the tributaries would be incorporated into future projects.

The Namami Gange programme is an integrated conservation mission, approved by the Union Government in June 2014, to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganga river.