‘Shameful politics’: Aaditya Thackeray says Delhi LG could have started cleaning Yamuna when AAP was in power too

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray called out Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for beginning the Yamuna cleaning drive only once the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the election in the national capital, and not when the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was in power. 

“Such disgusting and shameful politics by a person holding a constitutional post. He could have started the clean up when another party was in government too. But he chose to let the people suffer. For his politics. What a shame to hold India back for selfish reasons,” said Aaditya Thackeray. 

BJP commenced the cleaning of Yamuna, days before the formation of the BJP government in Delhi. The four-pronged strategy is aimed at reducing pollution in the river over the next three years. Raj Niwas officials stated that the operation has started using trash skimmers, weed harvesters, and a dredger. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the BJP's victory celebration at the party headquarters on February 8, expressed his commitment to making the Yamuna pollution-free. Delhi LG Saxena met with the chief secretary and the additional chief secretary (irrigation and flood control) last week, directing them to initiate the cleaning work.

The new Delhi government is also set to make all sewage treatment plants in the city, including six new ones, fully operational within the next two years to curb the flow of sewage and industrial effluents into the Yamuna. Additional Chief Secretary Navin Chaudhary said that the aim is to clean the river by December 2027. 

Chaudhary stated that the entire 57-km stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi, from its entry point at Haryana to its exit at the Uttar Pradesh border, would be cleaned. Chaudhary warned that strict action would be taken against any discharge of untreated sewage into the Yamuna once all STPs are operational by December 2026. Concrete steps will be implemented to prevent industrial effluents from entering the river, with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the industry department collaborating on this effort. Industrial units found releasing untreated effluents will face shutdowns.