Will work to make Yamuna as clean as Ganga: Delhi CM Gupta in Haridwar

Rekha Gupta and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the inauguration of Vatsalya Ganga Ashray, a dharamshala, at Kankhal

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday visited Haridwar and took a dip in the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri ghat, where she promised to “clean up the Yamuna” and work towards a “developed Delhi.”

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta. (ANI)

Along with her family, the chief minister is on a two-day trip to Uttarakhand after completing 100 days in office.

“Taking blessings from Maa Ganga, we will work to make Maa Yamuna clean and beautiful. We will serve Yamuna to make it clean. We will work to speed up the development of Delhi. Taking the blessings of Maa, I feel very satisfied that as the chief minister of Delhi, I will be able to do better work for Delhi,” she said.

Later in the day, Gupta and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami participated in the inauguration of Vatsalya Ganga Ashray, a dharamshala, at Kankhal. Hours after taking a dip in the river, Gupta on Sunday reiterated that her government was continuously working towards cleaning the Yamuna river.

Gupta said, “Yesterday, we did the aarti of Yamuna ji in Delhi and today, I took a bath in Ganga ji. Today, I want the blessings of all the saints sitting on this stage that one day we will be able to take a bath in Yamuna ji. Yamuna is dry; there is no water in it, and the water that is there is very dirty. I have to work continuously to achieve this goal of cleaning the Yamuna River.”

CM Gupta said that she was a “junior CM” compared to Dhami and that she would continue to seek his guidance. “Keep guiding me..Whatever he passes (policy) here, we will also implement it in Delhi. Gangotri and Yamunotri both flow from here. We will take water for Yamuna ji as well as schemes for it.”

On the second day of the trip, Gupta is likely to visit Kedarnath and Badrinath. CM Dhami said that Gupta has been working in the political and social sector for a long time. “She made a resolution here that she will make Yamuna ji just like Ganga ji. Tomorrow, her visit to Kedarnath and Badrinath Dhaam is scheduled. I wish all the wishes of the people of Delhi can be fulfilled during her tenure.”

Cleaning the Yamuna river was a major poll promise and a key priority of the BJP-led government in Delhi. At the event marking 100 days of the government at JLN stadium on Saturday, Gupta said the Arvind Kejriwal-led party merely put up a show under the guise of cleaning the river, while untreated sewage continued to be discharged into it.

The BJP-led government, on the other hand, made a ₹9,000 crore allocation to the Delhi Jal Board budget to strengthen sewerage system and water supply infrastructure, install seven new sewage treatment plants, rehabilitate eight more STPs, and launch decentralised STPs.