NMCG director general reviews progress of Yamuna river devp project

NMCG Director General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra today reviewed progress of the Yamuna River Front Development (RFD) project 'Asita', being implemented by the DDA and asked officials to expedite the work, according to a statement.

The project is named, Asita, which is another name of the Yamuna river. It aims to restore, revive and rejuvenate its flood plains and make them accessible to the people of Delhi. River Front walks, a major component of the project, will enable people to develop a relationship with Yamuna, it said.

A special focus of the project is on reviving the river's bio-diversity in the national capital.

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) director general Mishra, along with other officials from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), visited sites that fall in the area being developed under first phase of the project on the western bank of the Yamuna spreading from Old Railway Bridge to ITO Barrage, the statement said.

Followed by a detailed inspection of area near Vijay Ghat, the inspection team took stock of the progress of work at locations near DTC depot and the abandoned Raj Ghat power plant. A tree plantation activity was also undertaken on the occasion, it said.

The project envisages creating a green buffer area approximately 300 m wide along the river edge with species of riverine ecology. Besides, a wide belt of 150 m along the peripheral roads will be developed as greenways for public amenities that will include a continuous trail of pathways and cycle tracks.

To revive the ecosystem of the flood plains, wetlands will be created to store the flood waters and also to improve groundwater recharge which will eventually result in flourishing of bio-diversity in the flood plains, the statement said.

"An environmentally conscious approach for integration of the river into the urban fabric of the city has been adopted. A people-friendly bio-diversity zone will be created for people to interact freely with the river's ecosystem, it said.