City fights pollution in Buddha Nullah : The Tribune India

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City fights pollution in Buddha Nullah

LUDHIANA: It was an uncommon show of unity by Ludhianvis, that they got together to fight pollution in the district in such large numbers for the first time.

City fights pollution in Buddha Nullah

Residents take part in ‘Run for Freedom against Pollution of Buddha Dariya’ near Chand Cinema in Ludhiana on Sunday. Tribune Photo: Himanshu Mahajan



Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 12

It was an uncommon show of unity by Ludhianvis, that they got together to fight pollution in the district in such large numbers for the first time. Thousands of residents of all age groups and from different walks of life participated in “Run for Freedom against Pollution in Buddha Dariya” on Sunday. The 3-km run was held between the Buddha Dariya bridge near Chand Cinema and the Shivpuri bridge. It was organised by Lifeline Foundation.

Several noted personalities, including environmentalist Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, actor-politician Gurpreet Ghuggi, LIP chief Simarjit Singh Bains, actor Sardar Sohi and Inderjit Kaur from Pingalwara participated in the run. However, Congress leaders did not turn up.

Hundreds of youths gathered at the spot early at 6 am wearing white and grey T-shirts. After a dance performance and “Deh Shiva” shabad, they ran for 3 km to return to the same place in about half an hour. Volunteers of several NGOs, including Khalsa Aid, Sambhav, EcoSikh, Lets Clean Ludhiana Trust, also participated in the event.

‘Beginning of a movement’

Speaking on the occasion, noted poet and social activist Jaswant Zafar, who ran a video campaign, said the run was not only an initiative to get residents of Ludhiana and others on a platform for the common cause of ridding Buddha Dariya of pollution but also the beginning of this movement. He said a month later, experts and people having possible solutions to this problem would meet on September 11 at Guru Nanak Bhawan for a discussion.

Zafar said if people affected by pollution wanted, they could have blocked the nullah within hours to stop the flow of toxic waters in their fields. If such a thing happened, it would make every officer scramble for finding solutions. So it is better the officials own their responsibility and take stern action against polluters, including industry, with immediate urgency, he said.

Raise your voice together, says Seechewal

Baba Seechewal said people of the district had also been responsible for allowing polluters to pollute water bodies because they didn’t raise voice together to stop the spread of this disease of Buddha Nullah. He said not only people of Punjab but also 1.5 crore people of Rajasthan were affected by pollution in Buddha Nullah. Toxic waters of the nullah reach part of Malwa and Rajasthan, where people have to depend on this water in the absence of groundwater.

Gurpreet Ghuggi said time had come to seek our apologies for making the Buddha Dariya polluted.

Shahi Imam of Ludhiana said the governments couldn’t do much on their own but people had to come together to bring about a change. Whether it was the struggle for Independence from the British or now the fight against pollution, the common man has to step forward and struggle unitedly.

President of Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib Pritpal Singh also said as a child, he had taken a bath in the waters of Buddha Dariya, which was so clean back then. It is time the rivulet becomes clean again, he added.

Lok Insaaf Party chief Simarjit Singh Bains said pollution of Buddha Nullah had been the bane of Punjab and every authority concerned must wake up to end this pollution.

Meanwhile, participants said it was a good initiative and such initiatives needed to go from strength to strength.


Water samples collected

As part of investigation under the writ petition filed by Rajasthan to National Green Tribunal against pollution in Buddha Nullah and the Sutlej causing disease in Rajasthan, a team led by Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, along with PPCB members, took samples of Buddha Nullah water on Sunday. Seechewal said a report about the present condition of the nullah and treatment plants would be presented before the tribunal.

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