Fine dairies polluting Buddha Nullah: Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal

Ludhiana, August 21

Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal on Wednesday instructed the Municipal Corporation (MC) and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to impose environment compensation (EC) on the dairy units that are polluting Buddha Nullah by disposing of cow dung into it.

He issued these instructions during a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi, and officials from PPCB, Drainage, Rural Development, and other departments to review the Buddha Nullah rejuvenation project here.

Emphasising the commitment of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to clean the Sutlej tributary, the MP said the government funds were being utilised to clean the Buddha Nullah, and the officials must take strict measures to stop the pollution. He stressed that punitive action must be taken against those at fault. He also asked the officials to ban cattle grazing on the sides of Buddha Nullah where saplings have been planted in recent months.

MP Seechewal also ordered PPCB officials to take strict action against dyeing industries that were dumping untreated waste into the MC sewer lines. The officials have been tasked with identifying units releasing hazardous heavy metals into the Buddha Nullah.

Discussions were held on various aspects of the Buddha Nullah rejuvenation project, including solid waste management, functioning of sewage treatment plants (STPs), and effluent treatment plants (ETPs).

Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney informed MP Seechewal that more than 70 FIRs have already been registered against the dairy owners, who were found dumping cow dung into the Buddha Nullah in the past. In most cases, electricity connections have also been disconnected. She asked the MC and PPCB to issue show-cause notices against defaulting dairy units and later impose EC as per the norms.

Seechewal said like Kali Bein, Buddha Nullah was also a part of state’s heritage and it holds religious importance as Guru Nanak Dev visited the site near Gurdwara Gau Ghat. The residents who were dumping the waste/ garbage in the Sutlej tributary were committing heinous crimes as the Buddha Nullah merges into Sutlej, which is further a drinking water source for a large number of residents in Rajasthan and Punjab as well.