School challaned for burning waste inside canal

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 1

The Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, imposed a challan of Rs 25,000 on Guru Nanak Public School (GNPS), Sarabha Nagar, for allegedly burning garbage in the Sidhwan Canal near BRS Nagar-Sarabha Nagar bridge, here on Thursday.

On being informed that the school authorities have allowed schoolchildren to enter the Sidhwan Canal for a cleaning exercise, an inquiry has been marked into how it happened without seeking necessary permission from the district administration. — Surabhi Malik, Deputy Commissioner

As a lot of waste has accumulated in the canal, the school authorities sent a group of students and teachers into the canal to conduct a cleanliness drive today. Later, the waste was set on fire.

Though the canal was dry as the water was not being released these days, the school reportedly did not take any permission from the district administration to send the students and staff to enter the canal for a cleanliness drive. When MC officials learnt about the burning of waste in the canal, the civic body slapped a challan against the school for the ‘illegal’ activity.

MC Commissioner Shena Aggarwal said Rs 25,000 challan had been imposed on the school for burning waste in the canal. She said burning of garbage was illegal and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had also taken a strict note of the same in the past. A challan of Rs 25,000 has been issued in the name of the school principal, as per the solid waste management and sanitation bylaws, she said.

MC’s Zonal Commissioner at Zone D, Jasdev Singh Sekhon said the Deputy Commissioner, MC Commissioner and MLA Gurpreet Gogi along with officials of the Irrigation Department had inspected the Sidhwan Canal recently and a plan was prepared to carry out a drive to clean a canal stretch from Lohara Bridge to Barewal bridge from January 1 to 31 onwards. When a plan has already been made, nobody should do such activities to take any kind of credit.

Sekhon said the students should not have been sent to clean the canal. The school administration was at fault for sending them inside the canal and burning the waste.

Meanwhile, Executive Engineer (Canal), Irrigation Department, Sandeep Mangat said the SDO concerned had issued a warning to the school.

On the other hand, school principal Gurbhej Singh Nagi said the Central Government was running the Puneet Sagar Abhiyan to clean water bodies, making these free of plastic pollution and other waste. He said the school had received a letter from the NCC for cleaning the water bodies, near the school, under the abhiyan. The photos of the activity were to be uploaded on the government portal. As the canal was dry, some students and teachers went inside the canal to clean it, he said.

However, the school principal denied allegations about the burning of waste. He said the students and teachers had not burnt any waste in the canal. The school had no link with the burning of waste. Some passers-by had also entered the canal when the school staff and students were carrying out the cleanliness drive. There was no information about who set the waste on fire, he said.

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