Villagers of Delhi hold sit-in at Jantar Mantar over their civic woes
The protesting villagers, led by Palam 360 chief Surender Solanki, were later, towards the evening, detained by the police only to release later.
Palam 360 Khap chief Choudhary Surender Solanki on Saturday emphasised the importance of cleaning the Yamuna and its smaller tributaries flowing through the national capital.
During a meeting with various panchayat leaders, Solanki advocated for cleaning and reviving the Yamuna and its smaller tributaries, such as the Sahabi River, which have developed into drains over the years.
Earlier, these small rivers were an important source of water for agricultural activities, which farmers used to grow vegetables. However, since drain water is now being dumped into these rivers, farmers are forced to use this polluted water for agricultural purposes.
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Solanki alleged that using impure water to cultivate vegetables leads to diseases among Delhi residents who consume these vegetables. “Today, neither the air nor the water is clean, which is detrimental to the residents of the national capital, Solanki added.
Furthermore, the Khap leader stated, “Today, we decided in the panchayat to meet the Lieutenant Governor and the Union Minister in the coming days to demand that the Yamuna be cleaned as soon as possible and that all small rivers originating from it be restored, so that farmers have access to clean water for agricultural use”.
“If our demands are not met, we will convene a panchayat to devise further strategy and may consider boycotting the Delhi assembly elections,” Solanki claimed.
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