A timeline for ‘Ganga Cleaning Project’, discussed in the Cabinet indicates that the Centre wants to completely stop untreated water flowing into the river by March, 2019 and it will possibly arm authorities with a law having provisions to penalise polluters by that time. The Union water resources and Ganga rejuvenation ministry has been in discussion with other ministries including urban development, environment and law over four different drafts which talk about possibility of framing a law with objectives of abating pollution and maintaining sustainable cleanliness.

Converting the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) into a commission under a Parliament Act is the most possible course if, at all, the government finally decides to opt for a legal provision for cleaning the river in a much more effective manner. The NGRBA is a key central body which monitors planning and execution of all schemes of Ganga rejuvenation in coordination with five states including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Though making a law with criminal provisions is not priority at the moment when the government still has to create adequate anti-pollution infrastructure, the idea continues to be part of the official discourse on Ganga cleaning.

A proposed law on this matter was discussed as one of the key agenda of the high-level review meeting on Ganga rejuvenation in March when Modi called for an ‘uncompromising mission-mode approach’ to stop further pollution of the country's national river. Officials, however, indicated that the priority right now is to set up infrastructure including STPs and CETPs to stop polluted water from flowing into the river and involve urban local bodies (ULBs) for implementation of various schemes so that it can be maintained and operated on a sustainable basis.