Political Clashes Over Yamuna Cleanup Efforts in Delhi

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal are entangled in a political dispute over the Yamuna clean-up efforts. Saxena accuses Kejriwal of obstructing his initiatives, while AAP counters, alleging the lieutenant governor is misleading the public and taking undue credit.

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has leveled accusations against former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, contending that the AAP leader stymied his efforts to clean the Yamuna river for fear of losing credit for the initiative.

The National Green Tribunal initiated a high-level committee led by Saxena in January 2023 to address the dire state of the Yamuna. His initiatives reportedly began showing improvements, with an 11-kilometre section of the floodplain being cleared. However, these efforts were halted due to a Supreme Court stay on the tribunal's order, as Saxena claims Kejriwal's government filed a writ petition against it.

In contrast, AAP has accused Saxena of misleading the public and undermining Kejriwal's previous work on sewage projects. They argue he has no authority to sanction funds and criticize his unscientific removal of silt from the Najafgarh drain, which allegedly exacerbated flooding issues.

(With inputs from agencies.)