The Delhi unit of the Congress party has urged the newly formed BJP-led Delhi Government to take immediate and effective action to clean the Yamuna River, as promised in its election manifesto.
Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav criticized the BJP Government, stating that instead of engaging in superficial initiatives like “cruise tourism,” it should focus on urgent and practical measures to cleanse the highly polluted Yamuna. According to data from the Delhi Pollution Control Board, the pollution levels in the river have now reached 6,400 times higher than the permissible limit, making the situation extremely alarming.
Yadav questioned the feasibility of a boat ride through the dangerously contaminated Yamuna, pointing out that even breathing the toxic air near the river poses severe health risks. He highlighted that many residential colonies in Delhi receive polluted water that is unfit even for washing clothes, forcing underprivileged residents to rely on water tankers and bottled water for drinking. This, he noted, contradicts one of the BJP’s key poll guarantees, which pledged immediate action upon returning to power to ensure a steady supply of clean drinking water through Delhi Jal Board (DJB) pipelines.
Yadav accused the BJP Government of failing to fulfill any of its electoral promises, repeatedly delaying their implementation under various pretexts. He emphasized that cleaning the Yamuna was one such crucial promise that has been neglected. Recalling an incident before the elections, Yadav pointed out that Delhi BJP president Virender Sachdeva took a dip in the filthy Yamuna as a political stunt to gain public attention. At the time, many believed this signaled the BJP’s commitment to prioritizing river cleaning if it came to power. However, after securing victory, the party appears to have pushed the issue to the back burner.
Yadav further stated that the BJP Government should stop misleading the public by continuously postponing its commitments and instead take immediate and concrete steps to purify the highly toxic Yamuna water. He stressed that both air and water pollution have now become severe health threats for the people of Delhi, demanding urgent government intervention.
