Fearing threat to health, Ludhiana's 12 villages keep Noorpur carcass plant shut

Tribune News Service

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Ludhiana, August 25

Constructed at a cost of Rs 7.98 crore under the Smart City Project in 2019, the carcass plant at Noorpur village of the district has been lying shut for the past three years. It was the third such plant in the country, after Jodhpur and Delhi.

The primary idea behind setting up the plant was to dispose of/process cattle carcass and make poultry feed supplements and fertilisers. However, due to opposition from villagers, the plant failed to kick-start its operations.

Another objective was to shut down the illegal ‘’hadda-rodi’’ (carcass disposal point) functional on the banks of the Sutlej, which was polluting it. But the plant received resistance from the nearby 12 villages that did not let it operate, fearing stench and health issues.

Too close to homes

The plant is located close to our homes. The life of people living here will become hell if it becomes operational. Apart from foul smell, threat of groundwater pollution and disease outbreak looms large. Balbir Singh, former sarpanch

The plant was supposed to be inaugurated in July 2021 but faced stiff opposition. The authorities again tried to make it operational in December 2022, but were unsuccessful. Yet another attempt was made in July 2023, but that too failed.

On January 15 this year, the MC, with the support of administration officials and the police, managed to make the plant operational for 10 days before facing opposition from the villagers. MP Ravneet Bittu also supported the protesting villagers and locked the plant, leading to the registration of an FIR against him.

Every day, a group of farmers sit on a dharna outside the plant. If anybody from the administration or MC comes to open it, they immediately alert nearby villages and a large number of farmers gather at the site.

Balbir Singh, former sarpanch of Rasulpur village, said they won’t allow the plant to operate as it posed serious health risks. “The plant is located close to our homes and the life of people living here will become hell if it becomes operational. Apart from foul smell, the threat of groundwater pollution and disease outbreak looms large,” he said.

They had visited the Jodhpur plant, which was smaller, and seen people living even 6 km away suffering, he claimed. Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said the plant at Noorpur was modern while the Jodhpur plant was unscientific and outdated. The entire operation here was automated and covered. No work would be carried out in the open, he said.

“It is impossible to open the plant due to the opposition from the villagers and the law and order situation. We are looking for an alternative location and have visited the industrial hub near Ladhowal, where the Punjab Agro Department has about 200 acres. The final decision will be taken by the Cabinet subcommittee,” he stated.

A local activist had filed a petition before the National Green Tribunal, requesting the opening of the plant. On August 20, the tribunal gave three months’’ time to the MC and the district administration to decide about the future of the plant. A Cabinet sub-committee has been formed in this connection.