The Delhi high court and the city's lower courts are proving to be the major obstacles in the way of cleaning the Yamuna river, the Union urban development ministry recently stated in a reply to the Supreme Court. The reply was in response to the apex court's direction asking the ministry to file an affidavit stating as to how its integrated river cleaning action plan can be implemented within the next two years. On April 10, 2001, the apex court had set a deadline for the Delhi government to clean up the river by March 31, 2003 (see