Clear Yamuna floodplain,farm houses illegal: Shivpal

“Do anything but remove these encroachments. Kuch bhi karo,” Shivpal told the administration. He instructed the administration to lodge FIRs against land usurpers.

“The Yamuna floodplain should be cleared of all encroachment. The land belongs to the Irrigation department and strong action will be taken against defaulters,” he said.

The floodplain land known as khadar or agricultural land consists of a nearly 25 km-stretch running along the Yamuna. The land is meant for farming by villagers or the gram sabha,no permanent construction is allowed. But builders have encroached upon it and sold farm houses to the affluent.

“These farm houses are totally illegal and upset the ecological balance. These fall in the river catchment area which is owned by the Irrigation department,” Shivpal said.

The encroachment of land and its development did not happen overnight. It is alleged that the district administration,police and Irrigation department turned a blind eye when land sharks got down to business.

Shivpal also inspected the Okhla barrage and ordered its desilting. “It has not been done for the past 25 years. Accumulation of silt has reduced the storage capacity from seven days to two days. It has resulted in water crisis in Agra,Noida and Mathura,” he said.

The process of desilting is expected to cost Rs 18 crore. Shivpal said that desilting of canals in the state will now be conducted twice a year before releasing water. Earlier,it used to be an annual process.