Stop passing the buck on the Yamuna once and for all, an angry Environment Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, today told Delhi and Haryana Governments and directed them to take steps to cleanse the river, which is full of filth and waste.
“Delhi and Haryana... I want once and for all passing the buck on Yamuna to stop. One day Haryana is blaming Delhi and the next day Delhi is blaming Haryana. ...But we must do something on the Yamuna. Money is not the problem,” Mr Ramesh said after dedicating National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network to the nation here.
He said he has convened a meeting of Chief Ministers of both Delhi and Haryana on Sunday to discuss the issue and hoped that a consensus will be evolved about the steps to be taken to stop polluting the river.
Roles identified
“Both the Chief Ministers are coming on Sunday. We will sit down and I hope once and for all, we will have clarity on what steps have to be taken by Haryana and what steps have to be taken by Delhi,” Mr Ramesh told the function attended by top pollution control board officials of both the States.
The Minister said the Central Pollution Control Board officials, who had done a field visit, have identified the steps Haryana has to take and the steps Delhi has to take to stop polluting the Yamuna.
“They have done all home work. Now responsibility is up to you and I have told CMs that money is not the problem. Because we can get money under the environmental remediation window that has been set up as part of the budget,” the Minister said.
Voicing concern over the pollution in the river, Mr Ramesh on Monday said that there is “no water” in the river and all we see is waste dumped by the industrial units of Haryana and Delhi.