The government will launch water transport services on the Yamuna, on the stretch between Haryana’s Palla and Delhi’s Wazirabad in the next three months, assured Union minister Nitin Gadkari. At an event in Vrindavan, the petroleum ministry signed an MOU with the water resources ministry for purchasing treated water for Indian Oil Corporation’s Mathura refinery from an STP to be installed along the Yamuna.
The event was attended by Dharmendra Pradhan, Uma Bharti and Hema Malini. Nitin Gadkari reiterated that the government has decided to use plastic and metal waste from Delhi’s Ghazipur landfill site for construction of the Delhi-Meerut Road and suggested that garbage dumped in Yamuna can be re-used for some other purpose. He also said that the central government intends to boost tourism between Delhi and Agra by initiating seaplane services.
The signing of the MOU was a historic step and the tender process for setting up the 20 MLD capacity sewage treatment plant is expected to be completed within the next two to three months. The sewage treatment plant will be installed within a year. A 9 kilometer pipeline will be laid to carry the treated water to the refinery. There will also be work done on the riverfront development and crematoriums and all of this will be completed within 2 years.
Ms Hema Malini has also been urged to direct a nritya natika based on Ganga and Yamuna and this will be shown to the public in Mathura and Vrindavan to increase awareness of the pollution problem of both the rivers.
