NEW DELHI: While desperate efforts are on by the government to save the Yamuna river from dying, a few NRIs have taken it upon themselves to seek guidance and technical help from the British Parliament in cleaning the river.
Two Gujaratis settled in London, Rakesh Rajpara and Sadhnaben, have started an online petition for a debate in the British Parliament for technical support to India in cleaning the Yamuna. The river, which serves as a lifeline for many parts of the country is facing the brunt of urbanisation.
The petition at the UK government and Parliament’s Petitions sections by the name of ‘Help Assist in Rejuvenating the Sacred Holy Yamuna River’ has been signed by 162 people in the past one week. It needs at least 10,000 signatures to generate a response from the British lawmakers. The petition is part of the ‘Save Yamuna River UK’, campaign.
The petition says, “United Nation has declared the Yamuna River dead. There is no fresh flow, flowing through whole stretch. Devotees are forced to take a sip, bath and perform religious activities in these toxic polluted waters. We urge the UK Government to assist the Indian Government to treat their Industrial and Domestic waste and not to pour treated or untreated waste water into Yamuna River. Furthermore ensure adequate natural flow of fresh water throughout the stretch, which starts from Yamunotri to Allahabad.”
Rajapara said, “We need one lakh signatures to get the UK parliament to discuss the matter with us. We are also being supported by local councillors in our online campaign.”
If the petition gets enough signatures and the lawmakers agree to discuss the matter, the team will meet the Indian government requesting them to take the aid. “We are committed to saving the Yamuna. Two months ago we started a petition on paper as it couldn't be started online due to UK elections. We had got 10,000 signatures on it. Now, it’s online,” said Sadhnaben, who works in an MNC.