Centre to clean Yamuna before Commonwealth Games

New Delhi, Nov 16: The Centre, in its latest status report filed in the Supreme Court in connection with the cleaning of the river Yamuna, has stated that it proposes to increase the existing sewage treatment capacity of 512.4 mgd to 612.4 mgd by 2009, before the Commonwealth Games of 2010.

According to the status report, the estimated cost of the project is about 3,150 crore.

The Centre has also told the apex court that it proposes to remove all encroachments around the river Yamuna, which is the main source of water supply to residents of Delhi.

The Yamuna-Removal Encroachment Monitoring Committee headed by retd High Court Judge Usha Mehra said a joint operation needs to be carried out for removing all encroachments in the area known as Nangal Gaon bounded by the river Yamuna on the eastern side, Ring Road on the western side, IPGCL on the northern side and an open drain abetting the erstwhile Nangla Machi village on the southern side. The joint operation was to be carried out on November 14, 2006.

According to the status report, the government is also planning to launch a comprehensive public awareness campaign to make people aware through television channels, the print media and other means about the problems caused by throwing litter in the drains and on the roads.

The report estimates that in total, 191,207 persons have been challaned and an amount of Rs 58,457,919 has been recovered from July 2003 to September 2006 by 16 municipal magistrates working in all 12 zones of the MCD to check the menace of littering which causes sanitation and health problems.

The status report also states that out of 567 unauthorised/ regularised colonies, sewers have been laid in 516 colonies and action is being taken with regard to the remaining 51 colonies. In relation to 135 urban villages in the city, sewers have been laid in 105 villages amd action is being taken for laying sewers in the remaining 30 villages.

In the meantime, the bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, and Justices C K Thakker and R V Raveendran adjourned till November 21 the hearing of the case on the request of the Centre's counsel ADN Rao.

It may be noted here that several hundred crore of public money has already gone down the drain but no tangible results for cleaning of the holy Yamuna river have been shown till date and the river has become more polluted and contaminated as compared to earlier times.

UNI