NGOs raise environment related issues with parliamentary panel

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 16

Various city-based NGOs and individual stake holders apprised the Parliamentary Committee members about the pollution and environment related issues of the holy city here on Sunday. The standing Committee of Parliament on Science, Technology, Environment and Forests, was in the city on a study tour.

The Pollution Control Committee (PCC), local NGO, had prepared a power point digital presentation of environmental issues. Similarly, the NGOs, Mission Aagaaz and Voice of Amritsar, were prepared memorandum related to the depleting green cover of the holy city in the name of the development.

Residents of the city, including Rajinder Patwari, Sanjay Sharma, PS Bhatti also raised issues related to dysfunctional garbage disposal system of the city.

General secretary PS Randhawa said the PCC had come out with a detailed report regarding surface water pollution, river water protection, shortcomings of site selected for the proposed municipal solid waste management plant at Bhagtanwala, its hazardous after effects on the Golden Temple and five holy sarovars, inadequate public toilets, abandoned slaughter house project and faulty sewage treatment plants proposed for the city.

He said, “There are three storm water open drains for the rain water — Tung Dhab Drain, City Out Fall Drain and Chabba Drain — maintained by the Drainage Department. All of them fall in Ravi river through Hudiara Drain, which carries untreated municipal and industrial sewage.”

According to the PCC, at least eleven types of vegetables were grown with the untreated water used for irrigation. Another NGO Mission Aagaaz, handed over a memorandum to the committee. Deepak Babbar, executive director of Mission Aagaaz, said had the government acted judiciously, the mass slaughter of green lungs like pipal and bargad (Banyan) trees could have been prevented. Activists disclosed how the NoCs were procured in an illegal manner and trees were cut. “We demanded a probe in the matter related to issuing of the NoCs,” he said.