Kejriwal thanks Centre for Yamuna project approval

New Delhi, July 10 

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved an inter-departmental committee report on a project to store water in the Yamuna floodplains. 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for Centre’s quick approval and support for the project. 

The project aims at conserving water in the Yamuna floodplains and creating a mega reservoir between Palla and Wazirabad to deal with water shortage in the city, particularly during the summer months. 

Under the project, small ponds will be created to catch water from an overflowing Yamuna during this monsoon.

According to the report, the government will pay Rs 77,000 per acre to farmers willing to lease out their land for the project. 

In a statement, the Delhi Government said, “It was not possible for such an ambitious and huge project to take off without the personal monitoring of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.” The Chief Minister had given one month’s time to the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control to make preparations for the project. Kejriwal had earlier said the project had the potential for ending Delhi’s water shortage. 

Kejriwal, who has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thanked Shekhawat for the Centre’s quick approval. 

 “The Chief Minister also thanked him for the full cooperation that the Capital received from the Centre for the pilot project,” the statement said.

It added that most of the approvals had been received for the pilot project, barring two from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) committees, which were expected soon.

Last month, Kejriwal had met Modi and sought Centre’s cooperation to develop the Capital. —PTI