Extending advance greetings to the people of Delhi for Diwali and Chhath Puja, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that a plan has been prepared to clean the Yamuna river up to Prayagraj within the next seven months. He was speaking after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for development projects worth around Rs 1,816 crore of the Delhi government in the Capital. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also attended the event. Maintaining that about 80% of the projects inaugurated on Thursday are linked to efforts to clean the Yamuna, Shah said, “When the people of Delhi chose change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that purifying Mother Yamuna would be the top priority of his government. He promised to complete this task by 2029. His resolve to purify the Yamuna is not a political one, but an act of honoring the sacred place the Yamuna holds in the hearts of the people." He added, "Under the PM's leadership, a plan to clean the Yamuna up to Prayagraj within the next seven months has been prepared." Hitting out at the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government, he said, “The AAP-da government had promised to clean the Yamuna and take a dip in it, but they didn't take the dip - instead, the people of Delhi made them sink." In 2020, Kejriwal had promised that before the next elections, AAP would ensure that the Yamuna became so clean that people would be able to take a dip in it. He had said he would join people in taking a dip. The projects, to be jointly undertaken by the Centre and the Delhi government, included eight new sewage treatment plants (STP), underground drinking water reservoirs and new sewer lines. “These projects will prevent the flow of polluted water into the Yamuna and provide Delhi residents with clean drinking water and improved sewerage facilities,” the CM said. She added, “With the backing of the Union government, 19 water and sewerage projects are being initiated in Delhi." Gupta further said that the Union and Delhi governments are “working together in an unprecedented manner for the cleanliness and revival of Maa Yamuna”. Shah, meanwhile, announced that the garbage mountains in Delhi, which once rose to 65 m, will be cleared by January 1, 2028, and beautiful gardens will be developed in their place.
