LUCKNOW, Aug. 30 -- Professor Venkatesh Dutta, head of the department of environmental science at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) has resigned as a member of the District Ganga Committee (DGC), protesting what he termed the destruction of the Gomti's floodplains through "mindless embankments and highways".

In his resignation letter to DGC chairman Vishak G (district magistrate) and member secretary Sitanshu Pandey (divisional forest officer), Dutta said the committee had recommended the Green Corridor project along the Gomti floodplain despite his objections and suggestions on protecting the river's ecological integrity. He said he had sought the detailed project report and environmental impact assessment to examine the proj...