Supreme Court seeks details of Yamuna Action Plan

Supreme Court of  India has shown restlessness towards the worsening condition of river Yamuna and has  asked central government to place before it the Yamuna River Action Plan with details to prevent the untreated effluents flowing into it.

The apex court bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar also wanted to know how Rs.12,000 crore, spent by all the stakeholders for cleaning the river, was used.

The court also directed that the minutes of the Yamuna River Development Authority (YRDA) be placed before it.

The court said that what has been given to it was only a part and not the minutes of the entire proceedings of the YRDA.

Justice Swatanter Kumar asked the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to set up a two-member committee to check the efficacy of the 18 sewage treatment plants operational in Delhi at present.

The court direction came in the wake of the DJB confirming to it that the treated effluents from 18 sewage treatment plants (STP) were flowing into the Yamuna.

However, it admitted that because of capacity constraints of the STP, some of the untreated effluents too were going into the river.

The court allowed CPCB counsel Vijay Panjwani’s plea to allow inspection of the electricity bills of the 18 STPs.

He contended that because of their over or underdesign, the STPs were operating at their optimal capacity.