Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday said the first phase of disiliting work underway in the Najafgarh drain, the largest in Delhi, will be completed before the start of the monsoon season.?

The Najafgarh drain accounts for 68.71 per cent of the wastewater being discharged into the Yamuna. The Shahdara drain? -- the second biggest polluter -- accounts for 10.90 per cent of the wastewater discharge.

Sources in the LG office had earlier this month said the cleaning of the two drains has "remained criminally unaddressed".

Sisodia held a review meeting with a committee of senior officials set up for cleaning the Najafgarh drain.?

Officials told him that around 8 million cubic metres of silt has accumulated in the Najafgarh drain due to untreated wastewater from industries, animal dung and solid waste being released into it.

In the first phase, 1 million cubic metres of silt will be removed. The work is going on a war footing and it will be completed before the monsoon, Sisodia said.?

Advanced machines will be used in the desilting work. The government has released Rs 68 crore for the procurement of machines, he said.

He said a 59-km road will be constructed between Chhawla to Basaidarapur on both the sides of the Najafgarh drain for Rs 616 crore. It will benefit lakhs of people living in hundreds of colonies, including Punjabi Bagh, Paschim Vihar, Nilothi, Baprola, Kakrola, Najafgarh, Dwarka, Vikaspuri, Uttam Nagar, Janakpuri, Chhawla.?

Sisodia also said the Forest Department of the Delhi government is building Haritma Complex Nature Interpretation Centre to attract tourists, and redeveloping Vipin Garden and Kakrola Bio-Diversity Park.?

The tourism department of the government is also developing means of water transport in the Najafgarh drain. Besides, the government has plans to develop a boating facility here, he said.

He said the Delhi government will also build a sports complex on 10 acres of land in Kakrola at a cost of Rs 43 crores.