CM orders crackdown on polluting units

Tribune news service

Chandigarh, May 30

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ordered a crackdown on polluting industrial units in the state, with stringent enforcement of laws and regulations governing the discharge of effluents into the rivers.

His government will not allow pollution to affect the health of people at any cost, whether in towns or villages, the CM asserted, issuing a series of directives to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and other departments to take action against any violation of laws in this regard.

Chairing a meeting to review the situation in the wake of the recent incident of spillage of molasses into the Beas, the CM said neither the industry nor the municipalities would be allowed to flow any effluents into the rivers without treating them. Lambasting AAP and its leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira for “playing political games over such a serious issue”, he said his government was seriously tackling the issue of pollution in a systematic manner.

Lashing out at the previous SAD-BJP government for “making a mess of the state during the 10 years of their misrule”, Capt Amarinder said it would take time to streamline things, but all problems were being tackled one by one.

Wants quick redress of public grievances 

The CM has expressed concern over the poor grievance redress mechanism in most government offices and has issued instructions to officers to ensure that public complaints are dealt with expeditiously. The instructions to revive the grievance redress system have been conveyed to all departmental heads, DCs, SSPs and Commissioners of police after party MLAs raised the matter before the Chief Minister. Several civil rights organisations, too, have been complaining that officers are neither willing to lend a patient ear to public nor do they initiate any action against their juniors.