Who is responsible for the filth in the Yamuna? Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit says no work is getting done because too many government agencies are meddling with the river; not to mention the Centre-sponsored delays. Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh says sewage treatment plants are not functioning to their full capacity. And,Haryanas Forest Minister Kiran Chaudhary simply blames it on Delhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the National Conference of Ministers of Environment and Forests in Delhi on Tuesday and announced a policy for cleaning rivers. Manmohan Singh said at the central level,the new approach would be to look at a river in its entirety,including its floodplains,rather than clean it by parts this being the responsibility of the city through which the river passes. He asked states to explore mobilising additional resources for cleaning rivers through innovative models like setting up special-purpose vehicles. But for the Yamuna,nothing is that simple. Dikshit complained that the interceptor sewer project was held up with the Urban Development Ministry. She said many other bodies that clean the Yamuna like the municipal and civic authorities were not in her hands. She told Ramesh: The interceptor sewer project has been cleared by everyone except the Urban Development Ministry. We have to consult multiple agencies to do anything in Delhi. We need your help urgently in getting the proposal through with the UD Ministry. While Ramesh said he would correspond with the UD Ministry on this,he also pointed out that Delhi is not treating sewage to the optimum. You are the Capital city. I understand if it happens elsewhere,but I dont understand why in Delhi sewage treatment is not up to the mark, he said. Dikshit replied: The reason are the multiple agencies. Haryana Forest Minister Kiran Choudhary,meanwhile,blamed Delhi for the dirty Yamuna flowing through her state. Addressing Ramesh,she said,The Yamuna at Faridabad is a drain. People at Faridabad are drinking sewage water. She also said nothing has been done despite several meetings on the issue. The Ministry of Environment and Forests recently sent a Rs 1,320-crore proposal to the Finance Commission. It asked the Centre to bear for the next five years the operation and management costs of running sewage treatment plants for 36 rivers,including the Yamuna because the treatment is much below par in many cases. Dikshit maintained that multiple agencies are also holding up other environment works. She requested Ramesh to create a single body to manage the Ridge and also an Environmental Force to check violations,like that of the use of plastic bags. Forest money to buy the Aravallis?Haryana Forest Minister Kiran Chaudhary said her government had done a lot to check illegal mining in the Aravallis. She wanted to use the money collected under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) to buy land in Haryana,including tracts in and around the Aravallis to convert to forest areas. We hardly have any forest cover in Haryana. And we have done a lot to check mining. Why cant we use CAMPA funds to buy land and then convert them to forests? she asked. CAMPA money is collected as a fee,when forest land is used for developmental activities. Ramesh,however,turned down the proposal.
