Yamuna sewer project finally gets Delhi cabinet nod

Two months after the union cabinet committee approved the Delhi Jal Board's ambitious interceptor sewer project, and two years after it was first mooted, the Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday gave its final green signal to the Rs1,358-crore Yamuna cleaning project.

In what is termed as the largest fund approval for Delhi under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the project was cleared for implementation to contain pollution in the Yamuna after extensive examination of all aspects, chief minister Sheila Dikshit announced on Tuesday.

The project, which proposes to considerably reduce pollution levels in the river by intercepting the city's sewage and allowing only treated waste to flow into the river, will be implemented by Engineers India Ltd (EIL) over the next two years.

''The project has received all clearances - administrative approval from the DJB, environment clearance from the state-level appraisal committee, state-level steering committee, estimate finance committee, the centre, and the central cabinet of infrastructure,'' Dikshit said after the cabinet meet.

Field investigations, a detailed feasibility report, a detailed project report and land allotment for the project by the irrigation and flood control department and the Delhi Development Authority have been completed.

Of Rs1,357.71 crore, 35 per cent of the capital expenditure (Rs475.20 crore) will be released by the union ministry of urban development under JNNURM. The remaining 65 per cent will be contributed by the Delhi government or the DJB.