Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Parvesh Verma on Monday said FIRs would be filed against those found responsible for alleged financial irregularities in previous Yamuna cleanup projects, once a pending Comptroller and Auditor General report is received. Verma made the announcement during a visit to Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Riverfront, where he reviewed the city's river rejuvenation model and outlined plans to replicate elements of it along the Yamuna in Delhi.

Verma said the Delhi government already has one CAG report examining expenditure by the Delhi Jal Board and is awaiting another report. He alleged that the audit had raised serious questions over hundreds of crores spent on sewage treatment plants that either did not operate or functioned significantly below their intended capacity. The existing findings have been sent to a committee, he said, adding that legal action would begin after the pending report is submitted. The proposed FIRs would target those found responsible for the alleged irregularities.

The Deputy Chief Minister also detailed a broader plan to tackle pollution while simultaneously developing the Yamuna riverfront. He said work had begun across multiple government departments, with the Delhi Jal Board undertaking the construction and upgrading of sewage treatment plants. The government aims to eliminate the gap in sewage treatment capacity within two years, while households that currently do not have sewer connections are expected to be covered within the next 18 months, according to Verma.

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Waste management is another component of the plan. The government intends to introduce measures to manage dairy waste and septage from domestic septic tanks to prevent untreated material from entering the river. Verma said Delhi would draw lessons from Ahmedabad, including its approach to relocating traditional washermen to modern, mechanised dhobi ghats. Similar dedicated facilities are planned for Delhi's washermen, with the stated objective of preventing untreated wastewater from reaching the Yamuna.

Verma also said the government was prioritising the construction of dedicated Chhath Ghats for Delhi's large Purvanchali population. He said the administration had approved Rs 60 crore for a modern Chhath Ghat at Kalindi Kunj in the Kalka Ji Kunj area, with the facility expected to be completed within a year. He said the government had facilitated Chhath celebrations along the Yamuna last year, when nearly 10 lakh devotees were able to participate, and that such arrangements would continue alongside efforts to improve the river's condition.

During his Ahmedabad visit, Verma said the Sabarmati Riverfront offered lessons that could be applied to Delhi. According to him, around 90 per cent of the environmental and infrastructure challenges faced by the Sabarmati area 25 to 30 years ago were comparable to problems currently confronting the Yamuna. He said the Delhi government intended to develop a riverfront with green parks, cycling tracks, modern ghats, recreational areas and sports grounds while pollution-control measures continued.

The proposed approach combines environmental restoration with large-scale riverfront redevelopment, rather than treating the two objectives separately. Verma said the government was committed to transforming the Yamuna while improving sewage infrastructure, waste management and public amenities along its banks. The planned legal action over previous projects is also intended to address questions surrounding public expenditure. The success of the programme will depend on whether the government can close existing sewage-treatment gaps, prevent untreated waste from reaching the river and sustain the proposed infrastructure improvements over the coming years.

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