Congress today raised in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly the issue of rising level of pollution in the Yamuna river and staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction over the government's reply.
Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Pradeep Mathur through an adjournment notice in Zero Hour said Yamuna has become the most polluted river and neither the Centre nor the state government were paying attention to it.
"Though the state government has sanctioned Rs 400 crore for cleaning of Gomti and the Centre is concentrating on Ganga, funds have not been allocated for cleaning Yamuna which also has religious relevance," Mathur said.
Claiming that Yamuna waters have become poisonous as sewer discharge is directly flowing into the river through drains in Noida, Aligarh, Etawah, Vrindavan, Mathura, Agra and Allahabad, he demanded immediate steps be taken for setting up sewage treatment plants and adequate funds be released for cleaning of the river.
Puran Prakash of the RLD asked the government to talk to Haryana government for opening more gates of Hathnikund barrage.
Replying for the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan blamed the Congress members for not taking up the issue of Yamuna cleaning when its government had been in power.
"You have been in power for 60 years. Why did you not take it up then ... Why are you remembering it now ... The state government does not have a major role in cleaning of rivers," Khan noted.
"Cleaning of rivers need lots of funds and time... whatever state government can do, it is doing," Khan said.
Mathur, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the reply and along with some party members staged a walkout.
