Yamuna panel concludes proceedings, says motion insufficient on reviving river

Proceedings of the Yamuna Monitoring Committee (YMC) concluded on Wednesday, near two-and-a-half years after it was arrange by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The principal bench of the NGT, headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, stated the committee has introduced a transparent roadmap for stopping air pollution of the river and rejuvenating it, however motion by authorities continues to stay insufficient.
“All the issues have been duly identified and categorical directions issued… The Tribunal or Tribunal appointed Committee cannot be expected as substitute for governance and can at best set directions,” the bench stated.

The two-member YMC, comprising former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra and former skilled member of the Tribunal BS Sajwan, was arrange by the NGT in July 2018.
The committee has since submitted numerous stories containing particulars in regards to the progress, or lack of it, on compliance with the instructions of the Tribunal and in addition made suggestions for rejuvenating the river.
One of essentially the most essential steps taken by the YMC in 2018 was to recommend that the Central Water Ministry get a research executed to evaluate the environmental circulate (e-flow) required within the river between Haryana’s Hathnikund and Delhi’s Okhla.
The research executed by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) has advisable releasing extra water into the river from Hathnikund to assist its revival. However, the Haryana authorities has disagreed with the research.

On January 19, the Supreme Court additionally requested for a report from the YMC because it impleaded the committee in a suo-motu case pertaining to remediation of polluted rivers.
A member of the committee advised The Indian Express that the steps required for revival of the Yamuna embody addressing the query of e-flow, defending the floodplains of the river and stopping circulate of untreated effluents in it.
“Unless the flow of freshwater in the river is not up to the required amount, there is no chance of revival… In (Covid-19) lockdown, the water in the river had become perfectly clean, because more freshwater was released into it and industries were either shut down or had minimum functioning,” the member stated.
In its order on Wednesday, the NGT has requested chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to personally monitor compliance with the instructions for river rejuvenation, “by evolving effective administrative mechanism to handle grim situation caused by years of neglect.”
It has additionally requested River Rejuvenation Committees (RRCs) of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh — headed by their Environment Secretaries — to watch execution of motion plans which can be already in place for restoration of the Yamuna.
Chief Secretaries of the three states may have oversight over the RRCs and also will give quarterly stories to a Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) arrange by the NGT for polluted river stretches, headed by the Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS).
“We place on record our appreciation for the contribution of YMC in the last more than two years… Wherever the YMC has suggested filing of periodical reports with this Tribunal, such reports be filed with the Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti,” the order stated.

The MoJS Secretary additionally heads a Principal Committee shaped for monitoring the Yamuna in January 2015, when the NGT delivered landmark judgment containing a revitalisation plan for the river, on a petition filed by former Indian Forest Service officer Manoj Misra.
In its order on Wednesday, the Tribunal additionally disposed of the appliance filed by Misra.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Misra stated, “Government officials have hundreds of other roles and in such a situation, monitoring of the river also becomes one of the tasks… We feel that discontinuing the YMC is a retrograde step and is not going to be helpful at all… They were doing good work of full time monitoring of the river and the progress achieved in reviving it.”