Ghungrali Rajputan residents to boycott General Election

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Lovleen Bains

Doraha, May 11

Ghungrali Rajputan residents and some others from villages around Bija have decided not to allow any election-related activity to be conducted in their villages till their pressing and desperate demand for the closure of a factory located in the village, said to be emitting toxic gases and dangerous chemicals, is heard. The villagers, including women, have imposed a permanent dharna at Ghungrali Rajputan for the past four days and have decided not to move an inch till the issue is resolved.

Karamjit Sahota, representative of the protesters, said it has been two and a half years that the villagers of Ghungrali Rajputan along with some from nearby villages have been forced to face ‘hellish’ conditions due to a local factory emitting repugnant odour and harmful chemicals. A school situated near the factory is facing the worst of times as children have to keep their hands or handkerchiefs on their noses in order to keep off the unbearable stench.

Villagers including Gurpreet Singh, Upinder Singh, Harmanjit Singh, Amandeep Singh, Hardeep Singh, Mandeep Kahlon and Sukhwinder Garcha expressed every now and then the foul-smelling gas is emitted by the factory. They rued, “We have to rush indoors to keep off the stench and its possible effects on our health. It is so disgusting that it reaches every nook and corner and no one here can avoid it. We have tried to approach different political parties in this context but no one has come out in support.”

“Now, we have collectively decided not to allow any advertisements related to elections or for that matter voting to be pasted on the walls of any house in the affected villagers including Ghungrali Rajputan, Bhamaddi, Kishangarh, Gobindpura, Majri, Chakohi, Ghurala and Beer Kishan Singh,” the protesters expressed.

The villagers allege the factory workers pour harmful factory discharge in the village fields. They added, “Ignorant villagers were beguiled by the factory owners who had assured the discharge shall enrich the soil, but it turned out to be the opposite. Every now and then a tanker full of harmful chemicals is emptied in the fields rendering them barren. We got soil samples tested and the reports pointed at the presence of harmful chemicals. We complained about the same to the police but nothing substantial came out.”

The villagers rue the factory was allowed to be set up in the village as the owners had promised to lift the stubble from their fields and recycle it so it can be put to constructive use. “But we were least aware that our lives shall be reduced to virtual hell as the factory shall become a source of constant torment and agony for the villagers. We are getting complete support from all farmer organisations and on the coming Sunday we shall be joined by villagers from Mushkabad, Bhundari and Noorbet,” the protestors added.

Ludhiana DC Sakshi Sawhney when contacted said the administration is engaging the villagers regarding their concerns. “A committee has been formed to look into the matter,” the DC added.