Delhi L-G cracks whip as key Yamuna project stalled

NEW DELHI: The AAP government did not grant permission for the translocation of trees for the Rithala Phase-I sewage treatment plant, stalling the project and leading to the discharge of untreated sewage into the Yamuna river, sources in the Lieutenant Governor’s office said on Sunday.

The project was funded by the central government under the Yamuna Action Plan-III, they said.
The files pertaining to it were pending with Delhi’s minister of environment and forests for nearly two years, they claimed. There was no immediate reaction from the AAP-led government in Delhi.

The matter came up for discussion in the recent meeting of a high-level committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the Yamuna rejuvenation.“Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena expressed grave displeasure and annoyance over such deliberate misconduct on part of the Delhi government. The L-G noted that nothing could be more criminal than poisoning the Yamuna by stalling such key projects,” a source said.

The L-G has issued instructions to identify the officers responsible for this deliberate misconduct and initiate strict action against them. The L-G has set a deadline of June 2023 for ensuring 95 per cent of sewage treatment before being discharged into the Yamuna. The L-G was informed that the ongoing work on the Rithala Phase-I sewage treatment plant (STP) will be completed by June 2023.

The work of rehabilitation and upgradation of the Rithala Phase-I wastewater treatment plant was awarded to a private firm in June 2018 and was scheduled for completion in December 2021.“However, the govt kept sitting over two files for translocating over 500 trees for three years without assigning any justifiable reason. The permission was granted only after the interference of Yamuna Monitoring Committee constituted by NGT,” the source added.