Save Yamuna agitators call off protest after agreement with the government

14 March, 2013

Thousands of protesters who were part of the 'Yamuna Muktikaran Yatra' have called off their agitation after reaching an agreement with the government, which fulfills their major demands. According to the agreement, additional 225 to 250 cusec water would be released from Hathinikund for the Braj Mandal area, upstream from Vrindavan, through a canal.

The government also said that new parallel drains would be built on both sides of the Yamuna in Delhi for diversion of waste and sewage/ sullage, presently being openly released into the river.

“Since our major demands have been accepted by the government, we have decided to call off our protest for the time being,” Jai Krishnan Das, National President, Yamuna Rakshak Dal told NNIS. However, it is not clear yet when the agreement comes into effect.

The agreement has been signed between the leaders of the agitators and the water resources minister Harish Rawat and Union environment minister Jayanti Natrajan. With the agreement done, the government is feeling relived as of now.

On the other hand, environmentalists in Agra, though, were a little concerned after reports that sewage and waste of Delhi would be diverted to the Agra canal through the new parallel drain to be constructed by the Delhi government in two years. As reported by India Today, this was part of the agreement signed by Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat and leaders of the 'padyatra'.