New Delhi: In a major step toward rejuvenating the Yamuna and upgrading Delhi’s water infrastructure, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated and laid the foundation for 18 major water and sewerage projects worth Rs 1,816 crore. The projects, launched under the Seva Pakhwada celebrations marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, aim to ensure cleaner water, efficient sewage management, and a pollution-free Yamuna.
The projects, being implemented jointly by the Centre and Delhi government, include the construction and expansion of eight modern sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Kondli, Keshopur, Rohini, Coronation Pillar, Narela, Yamuna Vihar, and Najafgarh. Additionally, new underground water reservoirs and pumping stations are being developed at Siraspur and other parts of Delhi. According to official data, Rs 1,400 crore has been earmarked for STPs, Rs 99 crore for underground reservoirs, and Rs 300 crore for new sewer lines and house connections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the initiative is part of a “historic and comprehensive plan” to purify the Yamuna, not just in Delhi but along its entire course from Uttarakhand to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. “Today, the path to purifying the Yamuna, to realising the dream of a clean Yamuna, has been paved. In seven months, under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, a plan has been developed to clean the Yamuna not only in front of Delhi, but also from where it meets the Ganga, all the way to Prayagraj,” Shah said.
He added that Prime Minister Modi had personally intervened when officials expressed concern about the project’s cost. “Modi ji said, don’t worry about money. The more we eradicate corruption and reduce advertising, the purer the Yamuna will become,” Shah recounted.
Calling it a “divine coincidence,” the Home Minister pointed out that all states along the Yamuna’s course, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi, now have BJP governments. “This means that the path to clean
the Yamuna has been cleared by the grace of Goddess Yamuna,” he said.
Shah also criticised the previous Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government for “failing to deliver on its promise” of cleaning the river. “The Aapda government in Delhi did nothing to clean the river. Their CM announced that he would clean the river and take a dip in it. He did not keep his promise, but when Parvesh Sahib Singh dipped his cut-out in the polluted river, even that landed sick in Safdarjung Hospital,” Shah said.
He again asserted that the government is dedicated to making Yamuna sanctified again by 2029, with a detailed plan in place to clean the River till Prayagraj within the next seven months.
Shah also highlighted major welfare and economic reforms under the Modi government, including the reduction of GST on over 395 items and raising the income tax exemption limit to Rs 12 lakh, which together saved citizens around Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta echoed Shah’s remarks and said that the new projects mark “a new beginning in Delhi’s resolve to revive Maa Yamuna.” She said, “The Centre and Delhi government are working together
in an unprecedented manner for the cleanliness and revival of Maa Yamuna.” Gupta added that the government is conducting drone and physical surveys of 22 major and 200 minor drains flowing into the Yamuna to identify pollution sources.