Ahead of the Chhath festival, several social-religious organisations led by the Yamuna Sansad will embark on a Yamuna Yatra from Delhi to Mathura to draw attention towards heavy pollution in the river. Under the Yatra, to be flagged off from Chhath Ghat near ITO in New Delhi on 28 October, thousands of people will march following the course of Yamuna towards Mathura, Yamuna Sansad convener Ravi Shankar Tiwari said at a press conference. Covering more than 185 kilometres, the nine-day march will conclude in Mathura on 5 November. “The Yatra will have eight stopovers during which people living along the Yamuna will be invited to discuss pollution in the river and ways to solve the problem with full public support,” Tiwari said. Several other organisations including the Narmada Mission led by seer Sri Dada Guru will take an active part in the Yatra, he said. The seer has been on a mission to conserve and preserve Narmada from human interventions and marched more than 3,200 kilometres to create awareness among the people, Tiwari said. The Yamuna Yatra will be flagged off from Chhath Ghat, by nationalist thinker and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran KN Govindacharya. A havan will also be performed praying, to Varun Dev for restoration of Yamuna to its clean form, he added. Govindacharya said almost 500 metres of land around the rivers should be kept free from any construction work so that their flow is not hindered and no encroachment takes place. The country should be aware of its rivers and their conservation and people should be motivated to actively engage in environmental service. The governments having huge resources at their disposal should use them to preserve the rivers and prevent them from turning into drains of urban sewer, he said. After the Yamuna Yatra, a gathering of people under the aegis of Yamuna will be held at Ramleela Ground in Delhi to further focus efforts to protect and conserve the natural environment, he added.
