Anguished at the state of the highly polluted river Yamuna, the Supreme Court on Tuesday sought details of the Yamuna Action Plan. The plan which was launched for restoration of the river, is a bilateral project between India and Japan and involves a financial aid of 17.7 billion yen.
Over the years, the government is believed to have spent between Rs12,000 crore to Rs18,000 crore to clean the river and setting up sewage treatment projects for the 60 million people who depend on the river for potable water.
In July 18, 1994 the SC had issued a PIL based on a newspaper report highlighting the pathetic state of the river. Following this, directions were given during several hearings conducted by the court. However, the judicial mandate failed to serve the purpose.
During the inconclusive hearing on Tuesday, a bench of justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan B Lokur said that despite whopping amounts spend on the river by the stake holder states, there was no sign of improvement in the quality of its water.
“All the agencies have spent crores of rupees. What is the purpose? What work has been done ultimately?” asked the judges.
