Union Minister: Devika Rejuvenation Project Nearing Completion
According to Union minister Jitendra Singh, the first river rehabilitation project in North India, called “Devika,” which cost over Rs 190 crore, is almost finished.
A meeting in Udhampur to discuss the initiative was being facilitated by the Minister of State for Science and Technology.
The Devika river, which is sometimes referred to as the holy Ganga river’s sister, rises from the hilltop Suddha Mahadev temple in the Jammu and Kashmir region of Udhampur and empties into the Ravi river in western Punjab (now in Pakistan).
“The Devika project is almost finished. The project, which was started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was built at a cost of more than Rs 190 crore and is modeled after “Namami Gange,” Singh added.
The National River Conservation initiative (NRCP) of the Indian government includes this initiative. The COVID-19 epidemic delayed the completion of the work to revitalize the Devika river, which had been planned to be finished in two years by March 2019.
The Urban Environmental Engineering Department (UEED) is constructing a network of pipelines and manholes as part of the rejuvenation project to handle liquid waste.
“The Rs 190 crore fund allotted for the project is being shared in the ratio of 90:10 by the Centre and the Union Territory, respectively,” said Singh, who sits in the parliament for the Udhampur parliamentary seat.
The project comprises, among other things, the creation of two cremation ghats, three sewage treatment facilities with capacities of 8 MLD, 4 MLD, and 1.6 MLD each, a 129.27 km sewerage network, tiny hydropower plants, and three solar power plants.
The minister said at the review meeting that the Devika river would also undergo a solid waste management project, which is essential for maintaining the river’s holiness.
As the representatives of society’s grassroots, Singh argued that the Panchayati Raj Institutions play a crucial role in the success of large development programs.
The minister gave the ministries involved instructions to resolve the problems as soon as feasible after the PRIs present on Sunday expressed a number of concerns with him.
