MP Seechewal asks PPCB for report on zero-discharge policy
Pulls up officials for Buddha Nullah pollution
Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal on Monday asked Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials to “immediately” submit a report regarding the implementation of zero-discharge policy for the Buddha Nullah.
The deadline for implementation of the policy had been set for December 31. 2025.
Seechewal alleged that had the PPCB fulfilled its duties diligently, the water body would not have been in the dire state it is in.
The MP conducted an inspection of Buddha Nullah from Bhukhari Khurd village to the Central Jail. He was accompanied senior officials of the district administration.
After the inspection, he chaired a review meeting with the officials at the 225 million litres per day (MLD) Sewage Treatment Plant.
At the meeting, Seechewal expressed “strong displeasure” over dumping of cow dung and animal waste into the water body by dairy units, theft of electricity through kundi connections, encroachments along the riverbanks and the functioning of the PPCB.
He instructed the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) Enforcement Wing to take strict action against those involved in electricity theft. During the meeting, officials from the Drainage Department informed the MP that 62 encroachments along the riverbanks have been identified and strict action was initiated against them under the Punjab Public Premises (PPP) Act.
Issuing a stern warning to officials and those polluting Buddha Nullah, Seechewal said pollution of this sacred water body, associated with Guru Nanak Dev, would not be tolerated under any circumstance.
He added that the ongoing kar seva, aimed at cleaning Buddha Nullah, will continue till it is made pollution-free.
Kar seva reaches city
The kar seva to clean the Buddha Nullah, that started upstream, has reached Ludhiana city. Seechewal asserted that the primary objective of the initiative was to ensure that clean and unpolluted water reached Walipur, where the stream merges with the Sutlej River.
Silt and debris that accumulated over years and was obstructing the stream’s flow is being removed next to a bridge near Chand Cinema.
