Govt plans to relocate people living in Sadat Pur, Sonia Vihar etc as 30% of river’s pollutants come from there
Delhi Government has drawn an elaborate plan to cleanse river Yamuna by relocating unauthorised colonies that cause pollution. Sewer and filth that flows into the river from unauthorised colonies situated in the vicinity add to 30 per cent of the pollution.
A high-level committee on Yamuna, set up by lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung has been asked to find out modalities to rehabilitate people from over a dozen unauthorised colonies that are located on the riverbed and are causing pollution.
Unauthorised colonies such as Majnu Ka Tila, Sadat Pur, Jaitpur Extension, Sonia Vihar, Karawal Nagar (part), Tibetan Market at Kashmere Gate, Garhi Mendu village, Sonia Vihar village, Jagat Puri, Khajuri Khas (part), Abu Fazal Enclave and Shaheen Bagh fall on the riverbed of the Yamuna.
According to officials, these colonies are causing 30 per cent pollution to river Yamuna.
These colonies, like many other unauthorised colonies in Delhi, have been in existence for over 40 years and cannot be uprooted now. It is believed that that interceptors once installed can control the flow of pollutants up to 70 per cent in the Yamuna. The work on interceptor sewer project is expected to be completed by July 2015.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function held at Delhi Secretariat on Friday, lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has stated that a high-level committee headed by Secretary (Urban Development) has been constituted to find out modalities to check 30 per cent pollution that flows into the river from unauthorised colonies that exist on the riverbed. The committee has been asked to suggest rehabilitation plan for these colonies. The big question arises whether it is feasible to rehabilitate lakhs of people from these colonies to other places in the city as property rates in these unauthorised colonies are quite high.
Political analysts say that Delhi faces a space crunch and to rehabilitate colonies such as Badarpur and Sonia Vihar is going to be an uphill task. “The people of these colonies are a major votebank of political parties in Delhi. Both the Congress, BJP and AAP will allow their vote bank to be rehabilitated. Besides, the big question is the availability of land. There is no land left in Delhi,” said political experts. Besides, Metro depot at Shastri Park, Rajghat power station and Millennium Bus Depot are causing pollution to the river Yamuna. The question is whether the Government will shift them to another place. The plan of closing down Rajghat power station has been put on hold despite a Cabinet decision by the then Sheila Dikshit Government.
Officials say this is a long-drawn process but can help in bringing the river Yamuna to life again if these colonies are resettled. lambasting lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung’s move to cleanse the Yamuna, Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh lovely said this will lead to chaos. “If these colonies are located on the riverbed, what about the Commonwealth Games village, Akshardham temple, Metro depot at Shastri Park and over a dozen of Metro stations which have come up on the riverbedIJ As far as unauthorised colonies are concerned, they are not on the riverbed. It is not possible to rehabilitate lakhs of people from these colonies and where will they be shifted. Where is the landIJ” asked lovely. The Congress leader said Jung should focus on the existing riverbed. “If he talks about the original riverbed, then Civil lines will fall on the riverbed,” he added.
As a matter of record, pollution in river Yamuna Area is mainly on three counts: one, falling of 22 large water drains with high BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) resulting in the quality of water to be of category ‘E’ (even unfit for animal consumption), second, on account of unauthorised development taken place/taking place within the River Area without service/infrastructure, and three, due to large amount of fly ash being emitted by three power plants located along Yamuna riverbed.