(source- letter to sonia gandhi from manoj kumar mishra , yamuna jiye abhiyan)
At the outset, it is necessary to mention that our campaign is in accordance with our fundamental duty as citizens by virtue of Article 51 A (g) of the Constitution of India, which enjoins “ …every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures”.
The river Yamuna has been the life-line of Delhi and its environs for countless centuries and no one can have the liberty to misuse or mismanage the river and its ecosystem under any circumstances. Tragically, over the years this is exactly what has happened and now the state of affairs is such that it is perhaps the most polluted river and, according to experts, “the most threatened riverine system in the whole world”.
Unfortunately, currently there exists no legal protection available for our rivers as an ecosystem, which includes the river bed and the flood plain. As a result, our rivers have been taken for granted and their river beds and flood plains have been misused in the name of ‘development’ as if these are waste lands rather than precious parts of an ecosystem with vital and irreplaceable role for re-charge of ground water, floods moderation and as the habitats of varied forms of flora and fauna. Delhi is flood prone and vulnerable to severe damage from an earthquake. We have seen devastating floods in river Yamuna from time to time, including the recent floods in 1977, 1978, 1988 and 1995. The river bed is known to be most prone to damage from an earthquake. In this background, it is incomprehensible that the powers that be continue to treat the river bed and the flood plain of river Yamuna (Zone O) in Delhi as dispensable and as lands waiting to be ‘developed’, despite both the Hon’ble Supreme Court and the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi having chided the state for its utter neglect of the river. Nothing exemplifies this sad state more than the fact that the recently notified MPD 2021 no where provides anything to safeguard or conserve Zone O (river Yamuna), while there are plans galore in the same document to ‘develop’ the same.
The Delhi Government’s recent announcement about a ‘Yamuna Development Authority’ also indicates the mind of the authorities more keen to ‘develop’ than to conserve and safeguard the precious and irreplaceable river bed. Here it is pertinent to refer to a 2005 document (incidentally sponsored by the DDA as a preparatory document to the MPD 2021) titled ‘Environmental Management Plan For Rejuvenation of River Yamuna in NCT’ prepared by NEERI, a premier national institute of repute which observes and recommends as under, for the present river bed in Delhi, after a detailed study of all previous plans and studies: “It has been established that
a)The stretch has substantially lost its carrying capacity due to long term silting b)The present width of the river (between the two embankments defining Zone(c) is desirable to maintain for conveying maximum flow of 12,750 cumecs to avoid flooding of adjoining flood plains Accordingly No residential or industrial facilities requiring permanent structures should be provided on the river bed” Against the above it is understood that in addition to large sections of the river bed already lost / continue to be converted for use by Delhi Metro Depots and stations, power plants, stadiums, Akshardham complex and the DND flyway the most immediate threat to the Yamuna in Delhi is the plan to undertake a systemic and massive commercialization of the riverbed in the name of constructing a games village for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games (CG) to be held in Delhi in 2010. The powers that be continue to pursue this line despite repeated protests and voices of caution against such a move by knowledgeable persons and organisations from within and outside the government.
We have at YJA maintained that it was patently wrong, from the very start, for the DDA to select a part of the river bed in a most ad hoc manner without even considering other possible sites for locating the said games village in the city. This is not the way such decisions are or should be made as such decisions have the potential of long term disastrous adverse impacts on not just the lands where such structures are planned but also the future of dependent and vulnerable citizens and people like us. In the present instance it is also the matter of the safety of such people from floods and earth quake damage who would purchase and come to occupy the proposed residences in the river bed, post the 10 day sporting event. Madam, there is still time to shift the site for the CG 2010 village well away from the Yamuna river bed. We have been repeatedly petitioning and requesting the concerned authorities not to undertake any action that would change, forever, the character and face of the river in Delhi, but our efforts have not been successful. Hence, we beseech you to kindly intervene most urgently in the matter and save the situation and the historic Yamuna river for posterity, apart from the lives and livelihoods of all those who stand threatened at this critical juncture.
We request that:
1)Please do not treat CG 2010 games village in the river bed as a fait accompli and hence constitute an ‘independent’ committee (with a strict time frame) to conduct a review of the plans to raise permanent structures including residential quarters in the river bed in the name of CG 2010 games village with a mandate to also explore alternative sites in the city (we present few in the enclosure)
2)Please institute an independent Environmental Impact Assessments of existing structures like Delhi Metro Depots and Stations, Akshardham complex, DND Flyway, Power Plants, Delhi Secretariat and Stadiums standing in the river bed so that their current and future impacts on the ability of the already beleaguered river to meet its flood moderation and ground water recharge potential is brought to the public knowledge
3)Please direct the MOEF to urgently notify the River Regulation Zone (whose draft is ‘pending’ for action since 2002) on the lines of CRZ so that the rivers of the country may get some semblance of legal sanctity .
SUGGESTED ALTERNATE SITE
LODHI ESTATE REDEVELOPMENT ADJOINING JORBAGH, NEW DELHI (Suggested by Sri Kuldip Singh, Architect and Town Planner) The proposed site for the CG 2010 village in the eastern bed of river Yamuna west of Akshardaham is environmentally disastrous. It is also posing problems of accessibility to the 8 no. venues including Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium chosen for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games 2010. DDA and Delhi Govt. have proposed an underground road link between Akshardham and J.N. Stadium which passes through the environs of Humayun’s Tomb. This road link has been opposed by the DUAC, ASI, INTACH, and other Heritage Conservationists. An alternate, elevated road proposed over the Kushak Nallah is also a heritage disaster as it fouls up the Barapulla Bridge and Khan Khana’s Tomb. Hopefully this too will be rejected by the ASI as the elevated road passes within 100 M. of the boundary of Khan Khana’s Tomb. Heritage Conservationists have rightly expressed opposition to this proposal, as well. A look at the map of Delhi shows that only one venue i.e. Yamuna sports complex is located on the Eastern side of the Yamuna whereas all the other venues viz Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Indoor Stadium, Velodrome, Shooting Range, Covered Stadium at Ring Road, Indoor Swimming pool, Shivaji Stadium etc. are located on the Western side of the river. Thus the location of a games village in the proximity of Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium will not only be hugely economical and environmentally safe but also greatly minimize the traffic snarls likely to grid-lock the city during the games. It will also be convenient for the participants to just walk down from the games village to the Jawahal Lal stadium for the two major ceremonies as well as other sporting events, rather than be forced to travel across the city in hundreds of buses. Other advantages of a games village in the proximity of Jawahar Lal Stadium are:-
i)No ecological problems.
ii)Ownership of land vests with the Central Govt.
iii)Structures have outlived their life being more than 70 year old.
iv)No accessibility problems.
v)Existing use of land is residential.
vi)DMP 2021 provides for an incentivised redevelopment of pre 1962 colonies. vii)Very high return on space sold after redevelopment. Extremely high price expected for Hotel Sites. Savings / returns can be way above Rs. 2500 crores. SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE SITES FOR THE SITING OF THE CG 2010 GAMES VILLAGE
We at Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA) suggest the selection of site for the games village for CG 2010 in Delhi on following grounds:
a)It should be located in the city west of the river on logistic reasons since the airports and most stadiums and other sporting facilities are located there
b)It should preferably be close to Jawaharlal Nehru (JN) Stadium, since both the opening and closing event for the games and many other sporting events would be held there
c)The construction costs (without compromising on the quality) should be as economical as possible (since public money is being spent for a event to be organised otherwise by a non-government body viz., the IOA)
d)The construction of the games village or activities related to it should not compromise the historical and archeological values of the city
e)The people displaced from the river bed in 2006 who were eking out a living in the JJ clusters therein may benefit from the construction activities carried out for the CG 2010
f)The construction should be in line with the propositions contained in the MPD 2021 for revival of dilapidated and outdated buildings in the city.
Against the above we suggest the consideration of the following locations:
1)Reconstruction of Lodi Colony government residential quarters (between Jor Bagh Road, Second Avenue, Najafkhan Road and Bhishma Pitah Marg) which are already 70 years old structures and at walking distance from the JN Stadium
2)Refurbish the Pragati Vihar Transit Hostel (originally the Players hostel created for the Asiad 1982) and areas around it. This too is at a walking distance from the JN Stadium. The Lodi Hotel (under reconstruction) close to JN Stadium is also a viable option.
3)Minto Road transit government hostel (already proposed for reconstruction) between Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg and Tagore Road and MCD Civic Centre (under construction) in front of Tagore Road Hostel. Ranjit Hotel (under reconstruction)
4)Dwarka in West Delhi which is close to the airports
5)Bawana where the evictees from the JJ colonies in the river bed (resettled in nearby Bawana) could benefit from the construction activities
