A delegation of Poorvanchal Congress led by Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Chaudhary Anil Kumar on Friday met Delhi’s Commissioner of Police (CP) Sanjay Arora and filed a complaint, seeking strict action against officials responsible for spraying toxic chemicals into the river Yamuna ahead of the Chhath Puja festival.
It is alleged that spraying chemicals into the river is to hide the ammonia phosphorus foam. But, the chemicals will further add toxicity to the heavily polluted river, and pose severe health problems to the devotees who will perform Chhath Puja at the Yamuna Ghats on October 30 and 31.
Chaudhary Anil Kumar brought to the attention of the CP that the Chhath Puja will be celebrated by nearly 50 lakh people of Poorvanchal living in Delhi. But the poisonous waters of the river Yamuna will prove to be hazardous for the health of the devotees, who will conduct sunset and sunrise puja in the river water.
In his complaint to the CP, Chaudhary has demanded strict action against those responsible for spraying harmful chemicals in the Yamuna waters. He has alleged that it has been done with the consent of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has failed to clean up the Yamuna in the past 8 years despite squandering thousands of crores of taxpayers’ money.
He pointed out that Chhath Ghats were created at the Yamuna banks by the previous Congress government in Delhi in a neat and clean environment. But, by spraying poisonous chemicals into the Yamuna river, the Kejriwal Government has increased the toxicity of the water, which will not only kill the aqua life in the river but will also cause health problems to the devotees.
“Local people, including women, who leave along the bank of Yamuna River, had complained to me about the unbearable stench emanating from the river, which was causing serious health problems to them, and thus they dread conducting the Chhath Puja in this heavily soiled water,” said the DPCC president.