Activists blame political inaction for pollution in Yamuna

Politicians, irrespective of their affiliation, have ignored the issue of cleaning the Yamuna river and its pollution level has increased over the last three decades, various activists have alleged.
"People voted the BJP to power at the Centre and Uttar Pradesh with a hope that sincere efforts would be made to clean it. However inaction by both the governments so far, has disheartened the people," chief of Vishwa Shanti Sewa charitable trust Bhagwatacharya Devakinandan Thakur said.
According to Radhakant, the convener of Yamuna Muktikaran Abhiyan, Ramesh Baba, a saint, has rescinded his decision of launching an agitation for cleaning the river after state minister Srikant Sharma assured him of a meeting with chief minister Yogi Adityanth over the issue this month.

Following a PIL in 1997, an Allahabad High Court bench had banned discharge of drain water, industrial waste and chemicals into the river. Abattoirs on the banks of the river were order to be shifted," Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi, who had filed the PIL, said.
But, for the last six years, the situation of the river has deteriorated even though, a nodal officer of ADM rank was appointed by the court to monitor the pollution level since jal nigam and the pollution control board did not take the cout's instructions seriously, Chaturvedi claimed.
"All the 37 drains are now discharging sewage in the Yamuna river. I have requested the court to reconstitute the monitoring committee and take action against the departments concerned for not discharging their duties properly," he said.