Delhi Plans Sabarmati-Style Yamuna Revamp, FIRs Likely Over Past Cleanup Lapses

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Parvesh Verma on Monday visited the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, where he announced that the Delhi government intends to replicate the urban rejuvenation model along the Yamuna Riverfront. Accompanied by a delegation of officials, Verma received a detailed presentation on the transformation of the Sabarmati and drew parallels between Ahmedabad's past challenges and Delhi's current environmental issues.

Addressing financial accountability and past failures in cleaning the Yamuna, the Deputy Chief Minister said the government is preparing to take legal action against those responsible for financial irregularities under previous administrations. "We already have one CAG report and are awaiting another report regarding the Delhi Jal Board's expenditures," Verma said. "The Comptroller and Auditor General raised severe questions about hundreds of crores spent on sewage treatment plants that either never operated or ran far below capacity. We have sent the CAG findings to the committee, and as soon as the report is submitted, we will start filing FIRs against those responsible."

Reassuring the Purvanchali community living in the national capital, Verma affirmed that dedicated Chhath Ghats are being prioritised. "Unlike previous governments that banned Chhath rituals on the Yamuna, our administration facilitated grand celebrations last year, allowing nearly ten lakh devotees to offer prayers safely," he said. He highlighted that the government has approved a fund of ₹60 crore for constructing a modern Chhath Ghat at Kalindi Kunj, set to be completed within a year, while parallel work continues to restore the river's flow and purity.

Detailing the action plan for Yamuna's rejuvenation, Verma said pollution abatement and riverfront beautification will move forward simultaneously. "Work has already commenced across multiple departments," he explained. "The Delhi Jal Board has begun constructing and upgrading sewage treatment plants (STPs), and we will bridge the entire sewage treatment capacity gap over the next two years. Furthermore, millions of households currently lacking sewer network connections will be covered within the next 18 months."

To stop direct pollutant discharge into the river, the Delhi government is rolling out new schemes to handle dairy waste and septage from domestic septic tanks. Verma noted that lessons from Ahmedabad, such as relocating traditional washermen to fully mechanized dhobi ghats, will be implemented along the Yamuna. "We observed how washermen here were relocated to a modern, mechanized dhobi ghat facility to stop direct sewage runoff into the river. We plan to build similar dedicated facilities for Delhi's washermen to prevent untreated runoff from polluting the Yamuna," he added.

Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and guidance, Verma emphasized that around 90 percent of the environmental and infrastructural problems faced by the Sabarmati Riverfront 25 to 30 years ago match the issues plaguing the Yamuna today. "With the support and blessing of Prime Minister Modi and under the guidance of our Chief Minister, we are determined to build a Sabarmati-like riverfront along the Yamuna in Delhi very soon," he said. He assured that the government plans to construct lush green parks, cycling tracks, state-of-the-art ghats, recreational spots, and sports grounds along the banks of the river.