New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched 43 water and sewage projects worth Rs 8,941 crore for cleaning and reviving the Yamuna, calling it a long-term answer to the capital's polluted river.
The package, executed by the Delhi Jal Board, includes modern sewage treatment plants, an expanded sewerage network reaching outer Delhi, and upgraded water treatment infrastructure. Officials said the aim is to stop untreated industrial and domestic wastewater from flowing into the river.
Shah launched the projects at an event in Delhi, where he also took a swipe at the Opposition. "Protests achieve nothing," he said, adding that the Congress would not win elections for 30 years because of what he called its "negative politics".
The remarks came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others headed towards Rajghat, with Connaught Place seeing heavy traffic during the day.
Delhi has drawn scrutiny over the health of the Yamuna, which is heavily polluted along much of its run through the city. Officials said the new plants would treat sewage at source and cut the load of untreated waste entering the river.
Delhi Jal Board officials said the sewage treatment plants would be built to handle the city's growing volumes, while the sewer network expansion is meant to bring unsewered colonies into the system. The projects are spread across the capital, with a focus on outer Delhi, where much of the untreated flow originates.
The launch is among the larger single-day infrastructure announcements for the city in recent months. Officials said the works would be taken up in phases.