The Delhi government is moving to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL) for a similar riverfront along the Yamuna, water minister Parvesh Verma said on Tuesday (20 October).
Covering Delhi’s 52-km stretch in two phases, Palla to Wazirabad and Wazirabad to Kalindi Kunj, the project will include parks, cycle tracks, open spaces and sports facilities. A consultant is also being hired.
“SRFDCL will guide us in overcoming the hurdles encountered during the execution of the Sabarmati project and help us with the no-objection certificates (NOCs) and infrastructure development required for a similar riverfront along the Yamuna,” Verma said.
“If all goes according to plan, Delhiites will be able to experience the riverfront model before the next election. They will be able to spend time along the river, walk, practise yoga and participate in several other activities,” he added.
Union home minister Amit Shah had announced the idea in May last year.
The Sabarmati project, conceived in 1997, partly opened in 2012 after delays over flooding and slum rehabilitation, and environmentalists have questioned its ecological sustainability. The Yamuna plan will face similar questions on flood management and floodplain development.
Verma said the government aims to bridge a treatment-capacity shortfall of 250 million gallons a day within two-and-a-half years.
“We cannot say that Yamuna will become clean in six months, one year or 1.5 years. It will start getting relatively better in 1.5 years, and people will see drastic change in 2.5 years when all these treatment plants and projects are completed,” he said.
