BJP leaders Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Satish Upadhyay join Yamuna cleanliness drive across Delhi ghats
New Delhi, June 14
BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay on Sunday participated in the "Maa Yamuna Riverbank Cleanliness Drive" organised by the Delhi government across 28 ghats along the Yamuna River as part of a large-scale sanitation campaign involving public representatives and party workers.
Several workers and leaders engaged in cleaning activities in Sarai Kale Khan, along the riverbank.
Speaking during the campaign, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said thousands of BJP workers participated in the drive across multiple ghats and added that the riverfront development of the Yamuna had been part of the party's poll promise.
"Thousands of BJP workers have conducted a very successful cleaning campaign today at various ghats of the Yamuna. Thousands of workers have gathered at this location as well. The workers have completely cleaned this riverbank," he told ANI.
"Before the Delhi Assembly elections, it was written in the BJP's manifesto that a BJP government would come to Delhi, we would clean the Yamuna, and develop the Yamuna on the lines of the Sabarmati riverfront," Bidhuri added.
Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal also participated in the drive, saying large quantities of waste were removed during the cleaning operations.
"We have been at it since 6:30 am, and the cleanup drive is currently underway... we have observed that a vast amount of garbage, especially plastic, has been removed... such cleanup drives will now take place regularly," she said.
Maliwal added that infrastructure work related to sewage treatment was underway and criticised previous administrations for the condition of the river.
"Over the past year, significant work has been undertaken regarding the Yamuna... Numerous sewage treatment plants and decentralised sewage treatment plants are being constructed, drains are being cleaned, and strict monitoring is taking place at every level... During the 10 years of Arvind Kejriwal's govt, the Yamuna was reduced to the state of a mere sewage drain," she said.
"I am fully confident that the Delhi government is tackling this task on a war footing and will successfully restore the river... I served as the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women for 8 years during that administration, and to my knowledge, Arvind Kejriwal did not hold a single meeting regarding the cleanup of the Yamuna," Maliwal added.
Furthermore, Satish Upadhyay appealed to residents to take collective responsibility for keeping the Yamuna clean.
"I want to appeal to the people of Delhi that the Yamuna River is our life giver. Let everyone contribute their bit to keeping this Yamuna clean, and only through this contribution can the Yamuna River remain clean," he said.
The cleanliness drive was part of a larger initiative organised across 28 ghats, including Dashmesh Ghat in Geeta Colony and Hathi Ghat, where Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other senior leaders also participated.
The cleanliness campaign also witnessed participation from Minister Parvesh Verma, MLA Shikha Rai, Speaker Vijender Gupta, along with several party workers and local residents across multiple ghats.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm a Delhiite and I've seen the Yamuna deteriorate year after year. Swati Maliwal's comments about Kejriwal not holding a single meeting on Yamuna cleanup in 8 years is shocking but not surprising. Both AAP and BJP play politics while the river dies. At least this drive is happening - hope it's not just election gimmick. 🙏
Sabarmati riverfront model is good but Yamuna is a different beast - much larger, more pollution from industrial waste and untreated sewage. Developing ghats is fine but what about the 10,000+ litres of untreated sewage that still goes in daily? Need to fix the sewage treatment plants first. Good start, but long road ahead.
I lived in Delhi for 3 years and the Yamuna smell near ITO was unbearable. Great to see politicians getting their hands dirty - literally! But citizens also need to stop dumping garbage and plastic in the river. It's a collective responsibility. Kudos to the workers who actually did the cleaning. 👏
I'm cautiously optimistic. The Yamuna cleanup has been promised by every government since the 1990s. What's different this time? Decentralised STPs are a good idea but they need maintenance. Also, what about the industrial units in Haryana and UP that dump chemicals upstream? This needs interstate cooperation.
It's good that BJP is taking initiative after coming to power. But let's not forget both parties have failed the Yamuna for decades. The real test will be if this becomes a sustained program,
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.