Will make Yamuna so clean people will be able to take dip in it: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said if re-elected in the upcoming Assembly polls, his government will make the Yamuna river so clean that residents of the national capital will be able to take a dip in it.

Addressing his fourth townhall meeting in East Delhi, Kejriwal said cleaning the Yamuna will be the AAP government's priority in the next five years.

"Do you think we should clean Yamuna?" Kejriwal asked the audience which replied with a resounding "yes".

"Cleaning up river Yamuna is our priority in the next five years. The river is polluted by sewer and industrial waste from the city. We have identified and planned a waste management system. I assure you that in the next five years, we will clean up the river Yamuna," the Chief Minister said.

"I can say this with complete confidence that within the next five years, Yamuna would be clean. Before next elections, you all would be able to take bath in Yamuna, and I will take a dip along with you then. We will clean Yamuna to that level. I hope we will hold a town hall session on the banks of river Yamuna," he added.

He reiterated his promise to make bus rides free for students if he is re-elected. He had said this earlier in the second town hall meeting.

Kejriwal said all the suggestions given by the people of Delhi will be included in his manifesto for the upcoming Delhi polls.

"A lot of work still has to be done in Delhi. Yamuna has to be cleaned, Delhi has to be cleaned, pollution needs to controlled and transport needs to be improved," he said.

He also said the Delhi government, MCD and the LG are planning several steps to eradicate garbage dumps in Delhi.

"I hope that we will be able to resolve this issue in the next few years, along with cleaning roads, sewers, and river Yamuna. It is my dream to make Delhi the cleanest city in the world."

Kejriwal said last-mile connectivity is important for the security of women in the city and the Delhi government has conducted a research study on the same and is working on it.

"We are very concerned about the safety and security of women in Delhi. The government, the police, and the society need to work on the issue on a war mission basis. We have installed CCTV cameras, deployed bus marshals, and are installing street lights across the city," he said.

"We have conducted a study on last mile connectivity in Delhi and will soon release the report on the same and work on resolving connectivity issues. The police need to strengthen their force and instill people's faith in themselves," he said.

On being asked whether he is confident about his win in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, Kejriwal said, "AAP will win in Delhi".

"We are witnessing different voting patterns in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. Even though Odisha had assembly elections on the same day as the Lok Sabha elections, Naveen Patnaik was elected as the Chief Minister of Odisha by the people. We are witnessing the same trend across the country," he said.