Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government Wednesday announced it would set up the country's largest sewage treatment plant (STP) in the state capital.

With its cost estimated at approximately Rs.200 crore, work on the plant will start July 20. It is expected to be completed within a year.

Making a formal announcement, state advisory council chairman and Rajya Sabha MP Satish Chandra Mishra said that 120 hectares of land had been acquired for the purpose.

"The STP will have a capacity to treat 345 million litres effluents a day and all the drains leading to the Gomti river will be linked to the proposed STP," said Mishra. Orders have been issued to install iron gates at all the drains to block polythenes and other wastes, he added.

Earlier, Mishra, along with State Urban Development Minister Nakul Dubey, inspected the 12 km long stretch of Gomti river.

In 2003, a private company was engaged to clean the river. "Nearly Rs.2.5 crore was spent on this and only 4 km of the stretch was cleaned. But this time only Rs.1 million was spent on the clean Gomti drive, and it has been completed today, one week ahead of the target," Mishra said.