LG taking ‘unjust’ credit for cleaner Yamuna: Delhi govt

On Friday, a high-level committee responsible for Yamuna rejuvenation, and chaired by the LG, said that river’s water quality improved since the formation of the panel in January

The Delhi government on Saturday attacked Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena, accusing him of “unwarranted and unjust” attempts to claim credit for works done by the state government to curb pollution in the river Yamuna.

Delhi water minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the reduction in Yamuna pollution was due to the implementation of a 6-point action plan devised by the AAP government. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Delhi water minister and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a statement, said the reduction in Yamuna pollution was due to the implementation of a 6-point action plan devised by the AAP government. The statement was issued a day after the National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed committee go coordinate efforts to clean the Yamuna, which is headed by the LG, said that the water quality in the river has improved since the formation of the panel in January this year.

An official in the LG secretariat described the statement by the Delhi minister as “laughable”and “self defeating”.

Citing data by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the panel on Friday said that the biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels -- a key indicator of the river water’s ability to support aquatic life -- in the Yamuna at Kashmere Gate dipped from 55 milligrams of oxygen per litre (mg/l) in May 2022 to 38mg/l in May 2023.

“All progress made in cleaning of the Yamuna have been implemented in accordance with the comprehensive six-point action plan announced by the Delhi chief minister in November 2021. The plan, devised by the CM himself, outlines crucial steps to address the core issues affecting the river and has served as the foundation for the Delhi government’s ongoing initiatives,” the statement said.

Bharadwaj, in the statement, said that the LG could not have initiated any steps since he lacks the authority to assign budget for these measures initiated by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). “LG lacks the financial authority to approve any projects in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) or the Irrigation and Flood Control Department (IFC). The ongoing attempts to present minutes of meetings and presentations from departments such as DJB and IFC as if they were solely the achievements of the lieutenant governor are misleading and a disservice to the collective efforts of the people of Delhi,” the statement issued by Bharadwaj’s office said.

The statement said that the DJB has made remarkable strides in addressing the problem of pollution in the Yamuna. “However, the LG office has been unjustly claiming credit for the ongoing efforts initiated by the elected government and attempting to overshadow the visionary work accomplished by CM Arvind Kejriwal,” the statement added.

The LG secretariat official said, “Had the government of Delhi done a single concrete thing with regard to cleaning the Yamuna during the last eight years, apart from making hollow announcements issuing advertisements and hoisting banners, the NGT would not have slammed the Delhi government for inaction and constituted a special high-level committee and requested the LG to chair it.”

The official added that the DJB is yet to trap 147 drains falling into Najafgarh and Shahdara drains, and timelines for each stage of trapping of different segments of the drains is yet to be assigned to specific officers.

The Delhi government has approached the Supreme Court against the NGT-appointed committees formed to oversee efforts to clean the Yamuna, on of the most polluted rivers in the country, and manage solid waste in the Capital.

The turf war between the LG and the AAP government in Delhi has intensified ever since the promulgation of an ordinance by the Centre which seeks to restore control of the LG over bureaucrats in the state government, effectively nullifying a May 11 Supreme Court ruling which said that the transfer and posting of the officials came under the purview of the elected dispensation.