Activists call to make Amritsar plastic-free, green

Eleven representatives from diverse foundations and organisations recently met the Chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Reena Gupta. They had previously written to the government requesting a meeting to submit suggestions for the 450th foundation anniversary celebrations of Shri Amritsar Sahib, emphasising the significance of the Golden Temple.

Doraha resident, along with chief of Vatrukh Foundation Samita Kaur, and chief representatives of Action Group Against Plastic Pollution, Dr Navneet Bhullar; Voice of Amritsar, Indu Aurora; educationist Ripanjot Kaur Bagga; environmentalist Swaranjit Kaur; water warrior Aman Kaur; The Green Thumb’s Ritu Malhan; One Tree Each’s Pallavi Luthra Kapoor; OTT Transformative Trust’s Dr Simarpreet Sandhu; and Manpreet Khaira and Shweta Mehra from Earthy Instinct, met the PPCB Chairperson. They gave proposals to promote environmental sustainability and conservation in the holy city.

Environment lovers have demanded the implementation of single use plastic (SUP) ban to make Amritsar plastic-free, apart from decommissioning of the Bhagtanwala Landfill so that there is a complete stoppage of even the tiniest spec of garbage, the fill being only 1,500 metres away from the Golden Temple.

“The sheen of the Golden Temple is being lost due to toxic gases released from the landfill. Bhagtanwala is right next to the Dana Mandi,” shared the activists.

“We also plan to plant 450 orchards, each comprising 450 trees in the district. These trees will be of native variety. This will not only promote the local ecosystem, but also preserve the natural heritage and enhance ecological balance,” shared Ripanjot, Swaranjit and Aman from Water Warriors. “We will also make sure the saplings are looked after till they become self-sustaining,” said Ritu Malhan and Pallavi Luthra.

“We must remember that when Guru Ram Dass ji established this area it had lakes and was full of lush green trees and forests. Everyone in Punjab revers the Sikh gurus and comes to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, irrespective of their religion. Just as merchants, traders, farmers, artisans etc came together to create Amritsar, under the guidance of Guru Ram Dass ji, the time has come for us to make it the clean and beautiful ‘Guru Di Nagari’,” shared chief representative of Action Group Against Plastic Pollution Dr Navneet Bhullar and Voice of Amritsar Indu Aurora.