Check Buddha Nullah pollution soon: Residents

Ludhiana: The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and municipal corporation entered into a legal battle after the former filed a case against mayor Balkar Sandhu and MC commissioner KP Brar last week, along with other officials for pollution in Buddha Nullah. Though city residents appreciated PPCB’s action, they want the issue taken to a logical end to solve the problem.
However, one of the members of the committee formed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal termed this action as PPCB’s helplessness, because from now onwards, the committee will start taking action against officials who did not perform their duty.But residents believe that with PPCB taking action against MC and knocking at the court’s door, the root cause of pollution in Buddha Nullah would end once the civic body upgrades its sewerage treatment plants (STPs), and industrial effluents are treated at the common effluent treatment plants (CETPs).
PPCB had filed the case against Sandhu, Brar, and a few civic officials for their failure in making the Jamalpur STP function properly. The samples collected from STP had failed, and were not fulfilling the standards. Also, PPCB had not given any consent to MC for running this STP.
One PPCB official claimed that a hearing regarding non-functional STPs had taken place in Patiala with the chairman. After that hearing, PPCB had sought a bank guarantee worth Rs25 lakh from the civic body for this STP. When the civic body did not deposit the bank guarantee, PPCB had moved the court. In yet another matter pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court, PPCB has claimed it would take legal action against the civic body very shortly, he said. Though the mayor and other officials got bail in the case, this incident brought both the departments at loggerheads with each other.
Mayor Sandhu said: “Instead of taking action against erring polluting dyeing units, PPCB shifted the blame on MC. The STP at Jamalpur is almost dead, and that too because of untreated discharge coming from industries.” He said the upgradation plan for STP was ready, but it would take time to implement it.
Meanwhile, Brar commented that for the STP’s construction, they had already set a deadline of March 2021, but it was totally illogical for PPCB to start a legal battle. She said they would put their side in the court, as even they had a lot many things to prove.
However, Seechewal — who is a member of the committee as well — said: “On August 20, a meeting will take place in Chandigarh where officials will be asked to explain about the progress in action plan submitted to the committee for reducing pollution in Buddha Nullah and Satluj. PPCB is the target, because if MC is throwing untreated water in the seasonal drain, then it was the PPCB’s responsibility to stop them.” He said from this month onwards, they would be putting up names of officials who did not take action, and then NGT would act against those officials. He added: “There is provision of two to six years imprisonment for poisoning the drinking water, and these officials have done that crime. If they do not take action even now, then they will be behind bars.”
Meanwhile, Rahul Verma, a businessman and member of Punjab Dyers Association, said: “MC is only waiting for the completion of CETPs of industries so that they need not upgrade their STPs, which is not right. The civic body has no concrete information about total discharge coming to their STPs, and nobody has ever tried to find out from where heavy metals are coming into the water for treatment.” He said a few dyeing units might be throwing untreated water in the sewerage, but dyeing units do not use heavy metals in their operation.
However, residents believed that action against erring officials was a must, but it should reach some logical conclusion so that people living in localities alongside the drain or those people who are forced to consume the polluted water of Satluj find relief.
BRS Nagar resident Ravi Arora said: “It is for the first time that PPCB has acted at least, and it will force some action in the civic body to tackle the problem early. But it should be taken to its logical end now.” He said residents and councillors should come forward, and they should first of all get small ETPs installed for small drains coming from residential areas, so that treated water enters the drain. He said the upgradation of STPs should be taken up on priority.
Meanwhile, CM Lakhanpal (another resident) claimed PPCB had filed a case, after which the blame game started, as PPCB held the civic body responsible for pollution in Buddha Nullah, and the civic authorities attacked PPCB by saying the latter never acted against pollution-causing industrial units. He said the present status of Buddha Nullah was the same and black water was flowing inside the drain.
Reacting on the issue, senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal said: “Congress MP Ravneet Bittu should come forward and clear the air on what efforts were being taken for Buddha Nullah.” He said during elections and even after winning the elections, Bittu had made many claims for the nullah’s rehabilitation, but nothing had been done so far. Ludhiavis will bear the brunt for electing a non-serious person to represent them in parliament.”
Meanwhile, Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) MLA Simarjit Bains said it was highly unfortunate that Congress as well as the SAD-BJP government could not find a solution to the pollution problem of Buddha Nullah, and Bittu had claimed he would solve it at any cost, but he was missing from the city, except for a few pictures posted on social media.
Despite repeated attempts, Bittu could not be contacted for his comments.