Delhi CM performs yoga on riverbank, says govt.’s efforts to clean Yamuna visible

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta performed yoga on the banks of the Yamuna river on Saturday, the annual International Yoga Day, accompanied by Cabinet colleague Kapil Mishra, North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari, Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht, Chief Secretary Dharmendra, senior officials, and several schoolchildren.

Speaking to mediapersons after the event in Sonia Vihar, the CM said she had chosen the spot to show the public that the river was cleaner now as her government has been continuously working to make it pollution-free.

‘Message for public’

“Decentralising sewage treatment plants (STPs), laying new sewer lines and water pipelines… whatever is needed to clean the river, we are consistently doing it. By performing yoga here, we want to give a message to the people of Delhi that Yamuna is getting cleaner,” she said.

Cleaning the Yamuna was one of the poll promises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly election.

Ms. Gupta said a total of 303 drainage projects, with an estimated cost of ₹8,000 crore, are under way. “These include redevelopment of major drains, installation of modern water pumps, desilting drains, expansion of stormwater drainage system and scientific drainage network management,” she said.

Ms. Gupta said that the Yamuna had been Delhi’s identity, as the city was established along the banks of the river. “We are working sincerely to clean the river. This [Sonia Vihar] stretch of the river is clean. We will clean the remaining stretches also,” she said.

She said that thousands of tonnes of water hyacinth had been removed from the river using advanced technology. “A cruise service is also being planned on Yamuna,” she added.

Hitting out at the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress governments, the CM said, “Over the years, the city has seen many governments, but they did nothing for Maa Yamuna.”

Ms. Gupta said yoga should not be treated as a one-day event, and people should incorporate it into their daily routine.

She added that it was due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership that yoga today is being celebrated globally. “Be it the promotion of millet, reducing oil consumption or advocating yoga, PM Modi has consistently encouraged citizens towards a healthy life,” she added.

‘Deeply inspiring’

“Witnessing youngsters perform yoga on boats was a deeply inspiring sight,” she said, adding that it was for the first time that such a grand celebration was organised by the Delhi government with more than 20,000 people in attendance across the city, “creating a new milestone”.