Delhi, 18 October (H.S.): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday participated in a cleanliness drive at Hathi Ghat near ITO as part of the ‘Chalo Yamuna Abhiyan’, joining volunteers and local residents in a collective effort to clean the riverfront and promote public awareness about the Yamuna’s conservation.

The initiative also saw the participation of young people, voluntary organisations and local citizens, along with Abhay Verma, Chief Whip of the Delhi Legislative Assembly and a BJP MLA.

In a post on social media platform X,CM Rekha Gupta said thousands of Delhi residents had come together to clean 70 ghats along the Yamuna. She welcomed the enthusiastic participation of young volunteers, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and various social organisations, describing their contribution as an inspiring example of translating religious devotion into public service.

The Chief Minister said the collective effort had strengthened the resolve to restore the Yamuna to its cleaner, natural state. She appealed to residents not to discard plastic, religious offerings or other waste along the riverbanks and ghats, urging them to maintain cleanliness and encourage others to do the same.

Gupta also called upon citizens to become ‘Yamuna Praharis’, or guardians of the river, and make environmental responsibility a part of their everyday lives rather than limiting it to occasional cleanliness campaigns.

Highlighting the challenges facing the river, the Chief Minister said volunteers had found garments used for deities, broken idols and other materials associated with religious rituals during the cleaning exercise. She observed that leaving such items in or around the river contributed to pollution.

She acknowledged that the Yamuna faced several other sources of contamination but said the Delhi government was taking steps to address them. According to Gupta, large-scale desilting operations had been undertaken, with millions of tonnes of silt removed from drains over the past year. She expressed confidence that sustained government action, combined with public participation, would gradually improve the river’s condition.

Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma also participated in the mega cleanliness drive and described the Yamuna as a lifeline for the capital’s residents. He said public awareness of the river’s importance was growing and stressed that the government had a responsibility to address the discharge of waste and untreated sewage into the river.

Parvesh Verma said work was underway to establish sewage treatment plants and provide sewer connections with the support of the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Delhi Chief Minister. These measures, he said, formed part of the broader effort to tackle pollution and improve the Yamuna’s condition.

The campaign highlighted the role of community participation alongside infrastructure development in addressing river pollution. Both leaders urged residents to contribute to keeping the Yamuna and its surrounding areas clean and to support sustained efforts towards its conservation.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar