Clean Yamuna collective responsibility of govt, citizens: Delhi CM 

New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) The Delhi government on Thursday launched the Swachh Yamuna Prahari Campaign with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta asserting that keeping the river clean is the collective responsibility of the administration and citizens.

The Chief Minister inaugurated the campaign at the Rugby Ground in Delhi University’s North Campus in the presence of Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra and Delhi Government Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh.

The campaign commenced with students from various colleges also taking a pledge to become Yamuna Praharis and contribute to the river’s cleanliness.

MLA Shri Suryaprakash Khatri, Delhi University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh, and State General Secretary Mohan Lal Gihara attended the program, among others.

The campaign is part of the Delhi Government’s ongoing efforts to clean and conserve the Yamuna, with organisational support from the Delhi BJP, a party statement said.

Chief Minister Gupta registered on the Swachh Yamuna Prahari App, pledging to keep the Yamuna clean and safe.

The Delhi government also launched a website, meriyamuna.in, where Delhi residents can register and become Swachh Yamuna Praharis.

On the occasion, Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra said that over the past 12 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only spoken about development, but the country has also witnessed unprecedented development work.

Whether it is national highways, railway electrification, the rural road scheme or several other initiatives, the Prime Minister has simultaneously given special attention to preserving and promoting India’s culture, one of the world’s oldest and richest cultures, he said.

He said that Clean Ganga does not merely mean cleaning the Ganga River but enriching the country’s culture.

Malhotra said India’s life-giving rivers are symbols of our culture, and all rivers should be clean and pristine.

The Yamuna, after originating in Uttarakhand, passes through the plains of Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh before reaching the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, and its condition becomes extremely concerning along the way, he said.

The Yamuna flows for approximately 33 kilometres through Delhi, and to address this concern, all of us have gathered here under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, he said.

Malhotra said that the youth must also understand that the previous government reduced the Yamuna to an issue of vote-bank politics.

The government led by PM Modi has made Rs 3,500 crore available for cleaning the Yamuna. However, during the previous government's tenure, these funds did not translate into the desired results, and allegations of corruption also emerged, he said.

With the BJP government coming to power, we have set two targets — to eliminate all three garbage mountains from Delhi and to make the Yamuna clean, pristine and pollution-free. For this purpose, Rs 3,000 crore has been allocated, and work has already begun, he said.

Malhotra said wastewater from 22 major sewage drains enters the Yamuna directly. Tenders have already been issued for setting up sewage treatment plants at the outlets of these drains, and construction has begun at 12 of the 22 locations.

We are fully committed to working towards making the Yamuna clean, pristine and pollution-free for the people of Delhi by 2029, he said.

Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said that on October 18 we will all go to the banks of the Yamuna and conduct a cleanliness drive there.

“We will clean the polythene and other waste lying along the banks of the Yamuna. A person who steps out of his home, reaches the Yamuna, gives the entire day and contributes to the cleanliness drive is making a very important contribution,” he said.

--IANS

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