NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has expressed unhappiness over delays in timelines of various projects related to cleaning of Yamuna. Cleaning of the river was one of the major poll promises made by the ruling party during the last Assembly elections. In a review meeting on Thursday with top officials regarding the progress of cleaning works, the chief minister flagged the delays related to sewage treatment plant (STP) projects.
While directing the officials to expedite the cleaning project, Kejriwal said, “The Clean Yamuna project is one of the most ambitious projects of the Delhi government. We must ensure that there is no laxity at any phase of the project. We should work towards expediting the Yamuna cleaning process, every sub-project should be completed within the stipulated time-frame.”
According to officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), various low-cost technological interventions are being made to expedite the works before scheduled timelines. The DJB officials also presented a detailed plan to clean four majors drain — Najafgarh, supplementary, Shahdara, and Barapullah.
According to a government statement, out of the four drains, the work on interception of two major drains supplementary and Shahdara is almost complete. “The untreated water from the supplementary drain will be completely tapped and treated by December 2021. The untreated water from the Shahdara drain will be completely tapped in the next few months. The remaining two major drains Najafgarh and Barapulla will be completed within the stipulated deadline,” the statement noted.
While stressing upon completion of projects before the scheduled timeline, Kejriwal also directed the officials to ensure that no untreated wastewater flows into the river and instructed them to have a detailed plan ready by next week, wherein every project is scrutinised as per the revised timelines. The chief minister also reviewed the flagship project of septic tank cleaning in unauthorised colonies of Delhi.