Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her cabinet ministers took part in the Yamuna 'aarti' at Vasudev Ghat in the national capital on Thursday (Feb 20), marking their first official event after assuming office.
Several key ministers, including Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh, attended the 'aarti' along with other BJP leaders.
<h2>'Maa Yamuna has blessed us'</h2>
Cleaning the Yamuna River was a major poll promise of the BJP, which has long been a point of contention between the saffron party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet publive-iframes-block publive-Twitter-block" contenteditable="false" width="600" height="400" id="PL_blockquote_block-m7dhafi4-4roevcsv-q2li8a6t">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | Delhi CM Rekha Gupta says, "Today, during the aarti of Maa Yamuna, we remembered our resolution to clean the river. We will use the needed resources, and it will be our priority..." <a href="https://t.co/KmAfhJxUKN">pic.twitter.com/KmAfhJxUKN</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1892567306766545314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
Before the first cabinet meeting, CM Gupta, accompanied by Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and her ministers, performed 'Maa Yamuna puja' and then conducted the aarti. The event saw the playing of Ram bhajans, with chants of "Jai Shree Ram" and "Yamuna Maiya Ki Jai" resonating at the ghat, as reported by PTI.
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Speaking to reporters, CM Gupta said, &ldquo;Today, during the aarti of Maa Yamuna, we remembered our resolution to clean the river. We will use the needed resources, and it will be our priority.&rdquo;
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva added, &ldquo;We have made a promise regarding Yamuna&hellip; Maa Yamuna has blessed us. BJP's Delhi government will work to ensure that Yamuna is clean.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The issue of Yamuna pollution and its cleanup was a key flashpoint between the BJP and AAP during the Delhi assembly election campaign.
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Earlier in the day, Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was sworn in as Delhi&rsquo;s chief minister by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena at a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. Her council of ministers, including Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma&mdash;who defeated former CM Arvind Kejriwal, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Singh&mdash;also took the oath of office.
(With inputs from agencies)

India News: Cleaning the Yamuna River was a major poll promise of the BJP, which has long been a point of contention between the saffron party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and her cabinet ministers took part in the Yamuna 'aarti' at Vasudev Ghat in the national capital on Thursday (Feb 20), marking their first official event after assuming office. Several key ministers, including Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh, attended the 'aarti' along with other BJP leaders. 'Maa Yamuna has blessed us' Cleaning the Yamuna River was a major poll promise of the BJP, which has long been a point of contention between the saffron party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). #WATCH | Delhi CM Rekha Gupta says, "Today, during the aarti of Maa Yamuna, we remembered our resolution to clean the river. We will use the needed resources, and it will be our priority..." pic.twitter.com/KmAfhJxUKN — ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2025 Before the first cabinet meeting, CM Gupta, accompanied by Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and her ministers, performed 'Maa Yamuna puja' and then conducted the aarti. The event saw the playing of Ram bhajans, with chants of "Jai Shree Ram" and "Yamuna Maiya Ki Jai" resonating at the ghat, as reported by PTI. Also read: Alka Lamba shares memories from college days with new Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, posts picture online Speaking to reporters, CM Gupta said, “Today, during the aarti of Maa Yamuna, we remembered our resolution to clean the river. We will use the needed resources, and it will be our priority.” Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva added, “We have made a promise regarding Yamuna… Maa Yamuna has blessed us. BJP's Delhi government will work to ensure that Yamuna is clean.” The issue of Yamuna pollution and its cleanup was a key flashpoint between the BJP and AAP during the Delhi assembly election campaign. Also read: Will Atishi lead opposition, make it women-ruled Delhi Assembly with CM Rekha Gupta? Earlier in the day, Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was sworn in as Delhi’s chief minister by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena at a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. Her council of ministers, including Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma—who defeated former CM Arvind Kejriwal, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Singh—also took the oath of office. (With inputs from agencies)

Rekha Gupta’s first action as Delhi CM? Grand ‘Yamuna aarti’ with BJP ministers | Watch

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (Nov 6) rejected requests from devotees to hold Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna river, citing severe water pollution and the presence of harmful foam.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had been submitted to the court challenging the ban on the ritual, asking that worshippers be allowed to celebrate on the river’s banks. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the ghats and river should be cleaned for the festival. However, the court stated that such a task could not be achieved overnight due to its complexity.

The case was heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, rejected the plea from the Purvanchal Nav Nirman Sansthan, which had sought permission for devotees to conduct Chhath Puja on the Yamuna’s bank.

The court said, “If you want to get involved in the cleaning-up process, work over there. The problem is, we cannot be discharging sewage into the Yamuna. We are today discharging sewage into the Yamuna. Look at the unauthorised colonies built on the banks and the untreated sewage.”

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The court added, "Today, our mindset needs to be clean. The problem is, in our mind, that the Yamuna is uncleaned. We are not cleaning our minds. If you can clean that, then you can clean Yamuna very quickly."

The court continued, “It will be very harmful to you. The fact is that the river is so polluted that if you dip into it, there is the likelihood that. A person will suffer harm. We can’t allow that. The river itself is highly polluted.”

The High Court also referred to a recent incident where someone fell ill and required hospitalisation after bathing in contaminated water.

The court said that approximately 1,000 alternative sites had been arranged for the festival, providing safe options for devotees to perform the ritual.

Chhath Puja is set to be celebrated on Thursday, with the Delhi government declaring a public holiday for the occasion. Despite the Yamuna being covered with toxic foam due to high pollution levels and untreated sewage containing phosphates and surfactants, devotees traditionally offer prayers by taking a dip and facing the Sun.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (Nov 6) rejected requests from devotees to hold Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna river, citing severe water pollution and the presence of harmful foam.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (Nov 6) rejected requests from devotees to hold Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna river, citing severe water pollution and the presence of harmful foam. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had been submitted to the court challenging the ban on the ritual, asking that worshippers be allowed to celebrate on the river’s banks. The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the ghats and river should be cleaned for the festival. However, the court stated that such a task could not be achieved overnight due to its complexity. The case was heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, rejected the plea from the Purvanchal Nav Nirman Sansthan, which had sought permission for devotees to conduct Chhath Puja on the Yamuna’s bank. The court said, “If you want to get involved in the cleaning-up process, work over there. The problem is, we cannot be discharging sewage into the Yamuna. We are today discharging sewage into the Yamuna. Look at the unauthorised colonies built on the banks and the untreated sewage.” Also read: Congress dissolves entire Himachal Pradesh unit along with district, and block units The court added, "Today, our mindset needs to be clean. The problem is, in our mind, that the Yamuna is uncleaned. We are not cleaning our minds. If you can clean that, then you can clean Yamuna very quickly." The court continued, “It will be very harmful to you. The fact is that the river is so polluted that if you dip into it, there is the likelihood that. A person will suffer harm. We can’t allow that. The river itself is highly polluted.” The High Court also referred to a recent incident where someone fell ill and required hospitalisation after bathing in contaminated water. The court said that approximately 1,000 alternative sites had been arranged for the festival, providing safe options for devotees to perform the ritual. Chhath Puja is set to be celebrated on Thursday, with the Delhi government declaring a public holiday for the occasion. Despite the Yamuna being covered with toxic foam due to high pollution levels and untreated sewage containing phosphates and surfactants, devotees traditionally offer prayers by taking a dip and facing the Sun. (With inputs from agencies)

‘We can’t allow that’: Delhi High Court rejects plea for Chhath Puja at Yamuna banks over toxic foam

Acting on concerns over the health of the people of Delhi, the National Green Tribunal today directed the Central Pollution Control Board to analyse samples of Yamuna water at four points on Delhi Jal Board&#39;s plea alleging high ammonia in water being provided by the Haryana government to Delhi.

A bench comprising Justices Jawad Rahim and S P Wangdi ordered the apex pollution monitoring body to take the samples and detect the levels of ammonia and other pollutants at Pajewala in Haryana, Wazirabad water treatment plant, Okhla and ITO barrage in Delhi.

&quot;We are of the opinion that let CPCB collect samples of water at these points as mentioned in the map given by the Delhi Jal Board. The report shall contain analysis with respect to ammonia and other pollutants and be submitted on February 16, the next date of hearing,&quot; the bench said.

The DJB, which supplies water to the city, had yesterday approached the tribunal demanding that Haryana be asked to take urgent steps to check the &quot;dangerous level of ammonia&quot; in river Yamuna.

The petition claimed that the water being released by the state was so polluted that it cannot be treated for drinking.

It may cause &quot;a huge and irreparable loss to the citizens of Delhi and has a potential for a grave health crisis and water crisis in the National Capital Region (NCR)&quot;, DJB said.

The tribunal had yesterday asked the state government to file its response to DJB&#39;s plea seeking immediate steps to reduce the blackish colour and foul smell of the water being supplied to the Wazirabad pond from Haryana.

The petition also claimed that when the water enters Haryana, the ammonia level is nil and very much treatable, whereas when the water enters Delhi, the level is very high.

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Acting on concerns over the health of the people of Delhi, the National Green Tribunal directed the Central Pollution Control Board to analyse samples of Yamuna water at four points on DJB's plea alleging high ammonia in water being provided by the Haryana government to Delhi

Acting on concerns over the health of the people of Delhi, the National Green Tribunal today directed the Central Pollution Control Board to analyse samples of Yamuna water at four points on Delhi Jal Board's plea alleging high ammonia in water being provided by the Haryana government to Delhi. A bench comprising Justices Jawad Rahim and S P Wangdi ordered the apex pollution monitoring body to take the samples and detect the levels of ammonia and other pollutants at Pajewala in Haryana, Wazirabad water treatment plant, Okhla and ITO barrage in Delhi. "We are of the opinion that let CPCB collect samples of water at these points as mentioned in the map given by the Delhi Jal Board. The report shall contain analysis with respect to ammonia and other pollutants and be submitted on February 16, the next date of hearing," the bench said. The DJB, which supplies water to the city, had yesterday approached the tribunal demanding that Haryana be asked to take urgent steps to check the "dangerous level of ammonia" in river Yamuna. The petition claimed that the water being released by the state was so polluted that it cannot be treated for drinking. It may cause "a huge and irreparable loss to the citizens of Delhi and has a potential for a grave health crisis and water crisis in the National Capital Region (NCR)", DJB said. The tribunal had yesterday asked the state government to file its response to DJB's plea seeking immediate steps to reduce the blackish colour and foul smell of the water being supplied to the Wazirabad pond from Haryana. The petition also claimed that when the water enters Haryana, the ammonia level is nil and very much treatable, whereas when the water enters Delhi, the level is very high.

NGT says analyse Yamuna samples after DJB alleges ammonia in water supplied by Haryana

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Rekha Gupta’s first action as Delhi CM? Grand ‘Yamuna aarti’ with BJP ministers | Watch

‘We can’t allow that’: Delhi High Court rejects plea for Chhath Puja at Yamuna banks over toxic foam

NGT says analyse Yamuna samples after DJB alleges ammonia in water supplied by Haryana