MLA Gogi demolishes stone of Buddha Dariya project

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 23

In an unlikely event, MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi today demolished the foundation stone of the Buddha Dariya rejuvenation project. The 650-crore project has failed to yield desired results, which stimulated Gogi to demolish the stone which was laid by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, along with the MLA, and bore the names of both leaders.

Gogi is also demanding a CBI probe into the project to inquire where all funds of the project gone. The Buddha Nullah is a seasonal water stream, which runs through the Malwa region of the state and after passing through the Ludhiana district, it drains into the Sutlej, a tributary of the Indus.

“The city is highly polluted by industrial and domestic waste, which is dumped into the nullah, causing a major threat to public health and environment. It is sad to see that people staying around the nullah continue to suffer. They are facing various health problems such as cancer, hepatitis C, skin diseases, etc, and though crores of rupees have been spent, it has failed to deliver any positive result,” he said.

He said the government had zero tolerance towards corruption and need a concrete answer regarding the usage of money under the project.

The project was started under the Congress government in 2020 and Gogi was the Chairman of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation that time. When the foundation stone was laid in 2022 at Haibowal under the main project, Gogi was the AAP MLA.

“Once completed, the project was aimed at shedding the infamous tag of “nullah” but nothing of this sort happened. The water of the stream remained black and the people and the environment have been suffering due to the same,” Gogi said.

MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said the project was designed by the civic body but executed by the Water Supply and Sewerage Board Department. Hence, he could not comment much on the matter.

Missed several deadlines

The 650-crore Buddha Dariya rejuvenation project was initiated to clean the polluted water body. It was approved by the state government in 2020 and was scheduled to be completed by March 2024 but missed several deadlines due to Covid-19. It included construction of two sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Jamalpur and Balloke, with capacities of 225 MLD and 60 MLD, respectively, building of six pumping stations, laying of an 11-km pipeline, rehabilitating existing STPs at Bhattian and Balloke and setting up of a separate 66 kV plant to supply power to the STP.