New Delhi: The Yamuna Raksha Dal has claimed that the government has agreed to one of its main demands. The activists say that the government is ready to construct a 20-km long canal near the Yamuna in Delhi. After the government agreed to their demand for a canal, the activists decided to postpone their protest at Jantar Mantar and are awaiting the final decision on their other demands. They will decide on the future course of action soon.
Meanwhile, almost 4,000 police officials have been deployed near the protest venue in Sarita Vihar in South Delhi where the activist are camping to ensure security. The Save Yamuna activists say that they will continue with their protests till all their demands are fulfilled. The authorities have expressed the apprehension that the area could see massive traffic jams due to the protests.
Earlier, thousands of protests tried to enter Delhi through Faridabad but were stopped at the Delhi-Haryana border. The police also closed NH2 to prevent the protesters from marching on, but they are determined to defy the authorities and restrictions.
They are demanding that at least 70 per cent of the water at Hathini Kund barrage should be released into the Yamuna to ensure its smooth flow till Allahabad. They are also against the dumping of waste and pollutants into the river while demanding that corruption in the schemes to clean Yamuna should also be checked. The activists have threatened to continue with thei agitation till all their demands are met.
The issue also rocked Parliament on Monday with the BJP blaming the government and the Congress for the pollution in Yamuna. The party alleged that even though the government has been claiming to have spent crores of rupees to save the Yamuna but there was no progress. The BJP also demanded a discussion in Parliament on the issue.
However, the government rubbished BJP's allegations calling them baseless. The government said that the release of water from Hathini Kund barrage is a political matter and no state can be forced to do so. Union Minister of Water Resources Harish Rawat has already initiated talks with the protesters.
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