CM Rekha leads mega cleanliness drive across 28 Yamuna ghats
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday led a mega cleaning drive conducted simultaneously across 28 ghats and riverbank locations spanning nearly 22 kilometres of the Yamuna riverfront.
The CM participated in shramdaan at Geeta Colony Ghat alongside thousands of volunteers from over 500 social and religious organisations and administered a collective cleanliness pledge to citizens present at the drive.
The Chief Minister said the Yamuna is not merely a river but a source of faith, culture, and life for crores of people and that the purpose of worship cannot be fulfilled if people continue polluting it. “Yamuna is the lifeline of Delhi and is like a mother to all of us. Now, all of us have to dedicate 365 days towards keeping it clean,” she said.
She appealed to citizens not to throw waste, plastic, religious offerings, flowers, garlands, idols, or other materials into the river, noting that large quantities of broken idols, garments used for deities, and worship materials wrapped in plastic had been removed during the drive, pointing to the need for behavioural change among the public.
The pledge administered to volunteers covered not immersing worship materials or idols in the river, avoiding single-use plastics, not dumping waste or old clothes, keeping riverbanks clean, and spreading awareness among others.
The Chief Minister said the campaign would not be a one-time event and that the Delhi Government would continue organising similar drives regularly at various locations.
She added that projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore have been approved for Yamuna rejuvenation, including 12 new decentralised sewage treatment plants under the AMRUT scheme in the Najafgarh area at a cost of Rs 860 crore, to prevent untreated sewage from entering the Najafgarh Drain and the Yamuna, along with upgradation of the Keshopur STP and rainwater harvesting initiatives.
Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra, who carried out shramdaan near Yamuna Bank Metro Station along with South Delhi BJP President Maya Singh Bisht and MLAs Kartar Singh Tanwar and Chandan Chaudhary, cleaned approximately 500 yards of the ghat area.
Malhotra said Yamuna pollution has remained a major challenge for years, but concrete, result-oriented steps are now being taken under coordinated Central and Delhi government efforts. He said the focus is on increasing sewage treatment capacity, stopping polluted drain water, waste management, and public participation.
“Clean Yamuna, Healthy Delhi, and a Better Future, this is our goal and commitment,” he said, comparing the effort to the Namami Gange campaign for the Ganga.
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta also participated near the Old Yamuna Bridge with MLA Sanjay Goyal and former Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh. Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh led cleaning at ITO Hathi Ghat, saying awareness about Yamuna cleanliness is continuously increasing among people
Former BJP chief and MP Manoj Tiwari led the drive at Sur Ghat, Wazirabad, saying the commitment has continued since 2014. MP Yogendra Chandolia, at Nigambodh Yamuna Bazaar, said the previous Kejriwal government only made announcements for years, while work is now progressing in a time-bound manner.
MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat participated in Wazirabad Yamuna Ghat. MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri cleaned around 500 metres near Sarai Kale Khan and administered the cleanliness pledge to hundreds of workers. MP Praveen Khandelwal, who cleaned around one truckload of garbage at Vasudev Ghat, announced a dedicated space at Agrasen Park, Kashmiri Gate, for collecting broken idols instead of immersing them.
Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who worked at Kalindi Kunj, said in 15 years of politics, this was the first time she had participated in such a Yamuna campaign organised by a political party, adding that no such detailed effort was made during 12 years of the previous Delhi Government.