Maharashtra government plans to prepare an action plan for cleaning of rivers in the state.

Environment minister Suresh Shetty told the Legislative Assembly during the question hour that a high-powered committee would be set up for the purpose of preparing the action plan.

Earlier, Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil rapped the minister for the written reply to a question about river pollution in Ulhasnagar and Kalyan situated in the neighbouring Thane district due to polluting industries where he denied that it has been brought to the notice of the government that 194 industries are releasing chemical water into the nearby rivers resulting in water pollution.

He said the government should not have accepted such replies from the concerned officials.