Yamuna Cleanup Scam? Rs 12,000 Crores Gone?

The total is nearly Rs 12,000 crores, gone from the exchequers of different governments over the past 18 years. That's nearly Rs 12,000 crores spent to clean up the Yamuna river and it remains as polluted as ever. It may not be long before you start hearing about the "Yamuna cleanup scam" because, according to the Indian Express, a Supreme Court bench, constituting Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan B Lokur, on Tuesday has asked from a response from all stakeholders on “what fruitful purpose has been achieved” because it's a question of nearly Rs 12,000 crores down the drain.



The bench said, "The Union of India shall also inform the court whether the Yamuna River Development Authority, constituted by a notification in 2007, is still in place and operational. It shall also inform what steps have been taken by this authority and the extent of compliance.” the bench said, also directing that the minutes of the Authority be placed before it. By November 9th, the bench expects to see all cleanup plans and their results and the state of the various sewage treatment plants and their operation status.

Is This a Rs 12,000 Crore Yamuna Cleanup Scam? Main numbers from the last 18 years:

• Delhi and UP : Rs 4,439 crores
• Municipal Co-operation of Delhi: Rs 315 crores
• Delhi Jal Board: 2,072 crores
• Haryana: Rs 549 crores
• Union government: Rs 1,540 crores

How Polluted is the Yamuna?
To give you an idea about just how polluted the Yamuna is, the Central Pollution Control Board reportedly gave evidence that while the permissible level of coliform is 5000 units/100ml, the level at Nizamuddin Bridge is 17,00,00,00,000 units. This isn't new information either. In 2008, Newsweek reported that the level of fecal bacteria is 10,000 times higher than what is considered safe for bathing. In that year, 3.6 billion litres of untreated sweage was dumped into the Yamuna every day. Currently, 18 drains from Delhi dump untreated sewage into the Yamuna. These drains belong to unauthorised and irregular colonies.

 So there you have it. Nearly Rs 12,000 crores spent to clean up the Yamuna in the last 18 years. "This petition has been pending before this court since 1994 primarily with one object in mind that the dirty Yamuna should be converted into wholesome and clean Yamuna," the court said, "Statistics show that this object is much far form being achieved."


SOURCE :Indiatimes.com