Delhi LG slams delays in nod for STP revamp

A senior official from the LG secretariat said that the files pertaining to the project were pending with the Delhi environment ministry for more than two years

Lieutenant governor VK Saxena has criticised the Delhi government over delays in the upgradation of a sewage treatment plant (STP) in outer Delhi’s Rithala after a holdup in the granting of permission for the translocation of trees on the project site, officials aware of the development said on Sunday.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has criticised the Delhi government over delays in the upgradation of a sewage treatment plant (STP) in outer Delhi’s Rithala. (ANI)

The matter came up on Friday, when Saxena was chairing the fourth meeting of a high-level committee on the rejuvenation of the Yamuna, LG House officials said. The committee was formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by a January 9 order and has been tasked with looking into Yamuna’s pollution, and taking corrective action to ensure the river’s water quality shows an improvement in a time-bound manner.

A senior official from the LG secretariat said that the files pertaining to the project were pending with the Delhi environment ministry for more than two years — the first file from October 2018 to March 2020, and the second file from December 2019 to July 2021.

The official said that during the meeting, Saxena remarked that “nothing could be more criminal than poisoning the Yamuna by stalling such key projects”, and issued instructions to identify the officers responsible for this “deliberate misconduct and initiate strict action against them”.

HT reached out to the government, but a spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

Giving details about the project, a second official in the LG office said the tender to upgrade the Rithala phase 1 STP was awarded in June 2018, and was initially scheduled for completion in December 2021 with the translocation of around 500 trees. However, the project has been hanging fire, the official said, which has resulted in the discharge of 37,000 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Yamuna since January 2020.

“The project was funded by the Centre under the Yamuna Action Plan-3, but it has been inordinately delayed by not granting permission for translocation of trees that was necessary for executing the project. The files pertaining to this were pending with the environment ministry of Delhi government for nearly two years,” the official said.

This is not the first time that the LG has criticised the government over impediments in the execution of projects allegedly stemming from a delay in permission for the translocation or cutting of trees.

In October 2022, Saxena had written to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, exhorting him to expedite the approvals related to felling/translocation of trees related to 15 major infrastructure projects, which included the redevelopment of AIIMS, Delhi Metro works, and the construction of residential flats for government employees.

“This delay had prompted the LG to recall these files using his special powers under Rule 19 (5) of Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR), which forced the government to clear these proposals,” the second official said.

Invoking rule 19(5) empowers the LG to recall files “pending inordinately” with ministers and the chief minister “in public interest” and forces the state government to send files to the LG, irrespective of whether they approved it or not, the official said.