Where’s water in the Yamuna, asks UP CM Yogi Adityanath

AGRA:Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday directed officials to stop release of “untreated water” into Yamuna after he took stock of the projects undertaken for cleaning the river.

“Where is the water in the Yamuna?” the CM asked Agra district magistrate Gaurav Dayal, visibly upset by the sorry state of the river, one of the dirtiest and most polluted in the country. He asked officials to explore if the untreated water could be diverted to a common sewage treatment plant (STP) and whether electricity could be generated from it.

On his first visit to Agra after taking over as CM, Adityanath reached the site, earlier known as the Taj Heritage Corridor, and walked on the Yamuna river bed against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal for half an hour.

He was accompanied by Agra MP RS Katheria, chief superintending archaeologist of ASI (Agra circle) Bhuvan Vikram Singh, Dinesh Kumar from the tourism department, and Gaurav Dayal.

Seeing buffaloes move around in the river that has now shrunk to a stream, Adityanath inquired about projects lined up to improve the situation.

KC Jain from the Agra Development Foundation informed him of plans for the development of the areas between the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal as a heritage park with green cover.

The CM then decided to skip a programme organised on the banks of Yamuna and left for an inspection of a slum in Ukkhara on the outskirts of Agra where he enquired about the steps being taken to ensure cleanliness.

Earlier, Adityanath reached Kheria airport and left for the inspection of SN Medical College where he asked patients about the healthcare facilities.

He also visited Nagaria village where 15 people had died in a road mishap on Friday.

The incident took place when the mini-truck in which they were returning fell into a roadside drain.

Adityanath gave cheques of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.