New Delhi: Attacking former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over Yamuna pollution, Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena on Monday held the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader “responsible” for the river’s growing toxicity.
In a blistering letter to the AAP national convenor, Saxena said, “The Yamuna has reached its highest level of pollution this year. I will personally hold you responsible for this, since you had filed a petition in the Supreme Court and stopped the cleaning work being done in the Yamuna. I have repeatedly requested you to personally go out in the city and assess the situation.”
The LG was quoted as saying by ANI: “Day before yesterday also I had requested you through my post on “X” to visit Rangpuri and Kapashera, but on this occasion also you did not go there yourself, but instead you thought it appropriate to send your own declared temporary Chief Minister Atishi there.”
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena writes to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal
The letter reads, “…The Yamuna has reached its highest level of pollution this year. I will personally hold you responsible for this, since you had filed a petition in the Supreme Court and… pic.twitter.com/xFhkbBZo9O
— ANI (@ANI) December 23, 2024
Saxena added: “Anyway, it is a matter of happiness that now you have started taking cognizance of your responsibilities and after ten years, you have started seeing the worsening condition of Delhi and the plight and helplessness of the people. I assure you that I will continue to draw your attention to these issues in future as well.”
When LG shared images of foam-filled Yamuna
This is not the first time Delhi’s LG has hit out at Kejriwal over the pollution levels in Yamuna. In October, Saxena shared viral images of the heavily polluted Yamuna on X. The river was then fully covered in a thick sheet of white foam.
“Yamuna, which has been the lifeline of Delhi since eternity, becomes more important during the great festival of Chhath. This is the condition of Yamuna, the pain of Delhi’s people. It is unbearable to see it,” he had written.
“Who is responsible for such a plight? Who had claimed to clean the Yamuna and announced to take a dip in it? Who got the Yamuna revival work, started last year on the orders of NGT, stopped by the court?” LG said.
In November, Saxena accused former CM Arvind Kejriwal of obstructing his efforts to clean the Yamuna by securing a stay from the Supreme Court on the National Green Tribunal-appointed high-level committee. The LG alleged that Kejriwal did this to prevent him from receiving credit for the river’s cleanup.
Saxena claimed that in the 16 months after the stay, the Delhi government made no efforts to clean the Yamuna. He further stated that the person who obstructed his initiative to make the river pollution-free must have “polluted intentions and thinking”.
