AAP, BJP spar over functioning of STPs

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday sparred over the functioning of sewage treatment plants (STPs) after an RTI response from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) claimed that the STPs were “not meeting required standards”.

AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the BJP government’s claims of having cleaned the Yamuna have collapsed as the RTI reply confirms that “untreated sewage continues to flow” directly into the river.

“They [BJP leaders] boasted that [former Chief Minister] Arvind Kejriwal could not clean the Yamuna in 10 years, while they achieved it in just eight months. The reality behind their fake clean Yamuna spectacle is already known to the entire world. But what is truly shocking is the information obtained through RTI, which reveals that all 37 STPs have failed the inspection,” he said.

Hitting back, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that if there are any shortcomings in the functioning of the 37 STPs, the responsibility lies with the former AAP government, not the 8-month-old BJP government.

“If Saurabh Bharadwaj has the courage, he should respond to the recent Centre for Science and Environment report, which alleged that despite spending ₹6,856 crore between 2015 and 2022 in the name of cleaning the Yamuna, the former AAP government failed to clean the river and maintain 37 STPs,” he said.

Mr. Kapoor alleged that it is surprising that Mr. Bharadwaj has still “not recovered from election defeat” and continues to make “baseless statements every day”.