The Yamuna Riverfront Development Project will finally see light of the day as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will launch the ‘concrete-free’ project’s first phase on November 2.
Amounting to ₹200 crore, this project will began from June next year and a five-kilometre-long stretch from upstream Wazirabad, a North Delhi district, has been chosen in this regard.
As per the statement made by Water Minister Kapil Mishra, the work will be completely ecological and will involve the construction of temporary structures only. He also said that the Delhi Development Authority or DDA, which owns the land, has authorised the government to start work.
Kejriwal will make the official announcement after the ‘Yamuna Aarti’ at the Sonia Vihar ghat, he said. At last year’s Aarti, he had promised to clean and revive the heavily-polluted river in five years. Kapil Mishra said the detailed project report of the Delhi government’s ‘Yamuna Turnaround Plan’ was ready and awaiting “financial consensus”.
“The event will see the participation of around 10,000 people. The riverfront will have wetlands, facilities of rowing, canoeing, a modern akhara (traditional wrestling pit). Concrete will not be used and the structures will be made of bamboo and wood,” Kapil Mishra said.
Adding that care has been taken to comply with the guidelines of of ecologist CR Babu and NGT, he said that the ambitious plan seeks to develop the entire riverfront stretch in Delhi by way of creating wetlands with a variety of plants to clean sewage flowing into the river among other methods.
On the recent idol immersions, Kapil Mishra praised people for “not straying” from the enclosures identified for this purpose.
