March held in Ludhiana to make environment main poll agenda

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 10

To make environment top agenda in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, Punjab Vatavaran Chetna Lehar organised ‘Vatavaran Chetna March’ on the stretch along the highly polluted Buddha Nullah, which was earlier known as Buddha Dariya — a stream of clean water, in Ludhiana on Thursday.

Environment activists were demanding from political parties and candidates to include the ‘Green manifesto’ in their manifestos for the Assembly elections 2022. They want protection of environment and freedom from pollution.

Announcements were being made, demanding that manifestoes of political parties should be made legal documents.

The awareness march was led by environment activist Balbir Singh Seechewal. It started from Gurdwara Sahib, Gau Ghat, till Old GT Road Bridge near Chand Cinema, here.

Sharing his concern over the polluted Buddha Nullah, Seechewal said: “The present state of Buddha Nullah reflects the overall state of environment in Punjab. Political parties have never considered environment, rivers, air and groundwater as important electoral issues. We are, therefore, reaching out to voters to take it upon themselves to vote for those parties that they feel will work for the betterment of environment.”

In his appeal to young voters, Giani Kewal Singh, former jathedar, Takht Damdama Sahib, said: “Punjab is facing an environmental emergency. We have given copies of the ‘Green manifesto’ to all political parties and candidates and have requested them to include issues of pollution, air, water, forests and climate change in their manifestos to stop ecocide of the state. Voters should elect only those that they feel have the sensitivity and understanding of these issues and can work for the next generation.”

Shahi Imam of Ludhiana Usman Rehman Ludhianvi said if people of Punjab start fighting environmental issues unitedly like this march, they would definitely succeed and political parties and governments would have no choice but to clean the Buddha Nullah and improve environment.

Kahan Singh Pannu, former chairman of the PPCB, said: “Our groundwater is depleting fast and Punjab is left with only 17 years of it. Our political leadership has so far not understood the gravity of the situation that is why voters should ask them tough questions on such important issues this time.”

Meanwhile, some candidates of various political parties, including Tarun Jain Bawa of the BAP, Pritpal Singh Pali of the SAD, Parveen Bansal of the BJP, Pappi Prashar from AAP, Gurdeep Singh Dhaliwal from Jagraon, joined the march and were presented copies of the ‘Green manifesto’.

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