CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News /Agencies/ Delhi: New Delhi. Ahead of the Chhath Mahaparv, political statements over the cleaning of the Yamuna in Delhi have intensified. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Thursday took a dip in the Yamuna river at Sonia Vihar Ghat in north-east Delhi and appealed to people to perform Chhath Puja on the riverbank. He claimed that the efforts of the government led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta have reduced pollution in the Yamuna by about 50 percent over the past one and a half years.
After bathing in the Yamuna, Manoj Tiwari also performed achaman with the water. He said the presence of migratory birds in some parts of the river is a sign of environmental improvement. He praised the cleaning work being carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Tiwari said his aim was not to target any political party or leader, but to provide the people of Delhi with a clean Yamuna.
However, the Aam Aadmi Party has questioned his claim. Saurabh Bharadwaj, president of the party’s Delhi unit, said the roughly 26-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna from Palla to Wazirabad has already been comparatively clean. He alleged that the most polluted stretch of the river is between Wazirabad and Okhla. Bharadwaj also challenged Manoj Tiwari and Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma to visit Kalindi Kunj Ghat and drink Yamuna water.
The political debate over Yamuna cleaning has intensified at a time when preparations for Chhath Puja are underway in the capital. Recently, the central government launched 43 projects worth Rs 8,941 crore for cleaning the Yamuna. The Delhi government has set a target of May 2029 for the complete cleaning of the river.
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