AGRA:

(RJD) chief

’s son

has said that the central government’s ambitious Namami Gange scheme has failed, "as is evident from the present condition of the

in Mathura despite crores having been spent on the project". In the city to celebrate Diwali, Yadav threatened to launch protests in the Braj region "if the government fails to take care of Yamuna cleaning".

"Many people who took the holy dip in the Yamuna recently during the Radha Rani Braj yatra, a popular local pilgrimage, fell ill and were admitted to hospitals," he said, adding that people across the world visit Mathura but the government doesn’t seem to be bothered about them.

Yadav added that he loves the Braj region and has been visiting the place for the past 20 years, during which the condition of Yamuna has only turned from bad to worse.

"I want to convey it to the government that they should clean up the river which is not only the lifeline for millions of people but also considered the centre of faith by them," Yadav said.

According to Radha Kant Shastri, vice-president of Maan Mandir Seva Sansthan, an NGO that takes care of the 40-day-long Radha Rani Braj yatra, around 70 pilgrims had gulped the toxic water of Yamuna while they were trying to keep themselves afloat near Mahauli village in Haryana following an accident.

He told TOI that the Haryana government did not repair the pontoon bridge in time for the pilgrimage and people had to cross the river with the support of a plastic rope, which was tied to tractors on both sides of the river. "Many people could not prevent the toxic river water from entering their mouth while crossing the river and fell ill," he alleged.

"While three pilgrims from West Bengal died later, others were hospitalised," said Shastri.

Cleaning of Yamuna is also part of the Namami Gange Mission and the central government has been supplementing the efforts of the states for checking the rising level of pollution in Yamuna, a tributary of Ganga, by providing financial assistance to Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in a phased manner since 1993 under the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP). The total expenditure incurred on conservation of Yamuna under the first two phases of YAP is Rs 1,514.7 crore.