Rs 1400 crore 'Gomti Riverfront' project invites UP CM Yogi's wrath

Lucknow: Rs 1400 crore 'Gomti Riverfront ’ in the state capital on Monday became the first dream project of former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’ to come under scrutiny of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who looked all dissatisfied with the utilisation of time and money on this.

Expressing disappointment at the progress of the project which had raised many a eye brow during its completion and even invited demand of probe into alleged irregularities by the Bharatiya Janata Party before the UP assembly polls. ''It is a show of inefficient work of officials and the wastage of money and time,'' was his remark after an hour-long on the spot review of the project.

UP CM, who inspected the project on Monday, showed his anger for delay in riverfront construction and continuous increase in the cost. Accompanied by a battery of his ministers, the UP CM was not a satisfied picture as he came down on the official specially the Irrigation department engineer P K Singh who came in for some harsh words from the former.

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Stating that the previous government was not serious about the cleanliness of river Gomti, the CM also ordered that the riverfront project will be merged with the Centre’s initiative of scheme ‘Namami Gange’. Yogi spent about an hour at the banks of river Gomti and reviewed the much-talked about project with precision.

CM Yogi Adityanath also ordered that the project should extend to the ‘Kamkothi Ghat’ instead of the Kudiya Ghat where it currently begins from.

What else he ordered:

• Every brook that opens up in the river Gomti should be closed.
• The drainage water should be treated first before falling into the river.
• The cleanliness project of river Gomti should be merged up with ‘Namami Gange’

It could be mentioned that the Gomti riverfront project was the dream project of former CM Akhilesh Yadav, which the ex-CM of the state wanted to present as an answer to the Sabarmati riverfront project of Gujarat government. The project was executed under the guidance of the then irrigation minister Shiv Pal Singh Yadav with Deepak Singhal, an officer with questionable credentials as the principal secretary of the department.

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