Delhi CM seeks UP counterpart's help to check illegal sand mining in Yamuna

New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Citing ecological damage, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday wrote a letter to her Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath to join hands with her government to stop illegal sand mining in the Yamuna floodplains in areas near the border of the two states.

In her letter, the Delhi Chief Minister said that due to this illegal mining, the embankments of Yamuna are getting weakened, increasing the danger of floods for Delhi residents living close to the river banks.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also apprised the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister about the concerns of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) related to illegal sand mining.

The Delhi CM said that illegal mining is also causing serious ecological damage, which can cause serious harm to the Yamuna and threaten the safety of the population living on the banks of the river.

CM Gupta said that this is an issue of an inter-state nature, so a coordinated and joint enforcement mechanism is required between the governments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to effectively curb this illegal sand mining.

The Delhi Chief Minister informed the UP CM that the National Green Tribunal has also been continuously expressing concern over illegal sand mining in the Yamuna.

She said the NGT has repeatedly pointed to the adverse impact of illegal sand and also suggested immediate regulatory enforcement and interstate coordination on this issue.

CM Gupta wrote in her letter that with CM Adityanath’s cooperation, “we will be able to find an effective solution to this problem”.

She asked the UP CM to instruct his officers to conduct a joint inter-state demarcation on this issue so that the ecological balance of the area can be effectively protected by coordinated efforts of the administration of both states.

On this issue, top officials of Delhi have informed the Chief Minister that they are continuously corresponding with top officials of the concerned areas of Uttar Pradesh and informing them that the menace of illegal sand mining is increasing along the Yamuna River, especially in and around the jurisdiction falling under the territorial boundary of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

--IANS

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