State govt forms high-level committee as NGT to decide fate of dyeing units on July 22

The final hearing on the fate of dyeing units by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) will be held on July 22. It is up to the NGT to decide whether Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) will be allowed to continue or stopped from dumping effluents into the Buddha Nullah. Waking from the deep slumber, the Science, Technology and Environment Department, Punjab, has constituted a 12-member high-level committee to develop a comprehensive and long-term action plan for the cleaning and rejuvenation of the Buddha Dariya.

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The committee includes Minister for Industries and Commerce, Punjab, as its chairperson; Chief Secretary, Punjab, as vice-chairperson; Administrative Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Punjab, as member secretary; and Vice-Chairperson, Punjab Development Commission; Administrative Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Punjab; Administrative Secretary, Local Government, Punjab; Administrative Secretary, Water Resources and Irrigation, Punjab; CEO, PEDA; Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner; MC Commissioner, Ludhiana; an expert from Ropar IIT; and a retired Chief Engineer, Punjab Eater Supply and Sewerage Board, as other members of the committee.

It will meet once every month or as often as needed to monitor and fast-track the current and future priority infrastructure such as CBG Plants, STP/CETP installations, etc.

One of the officials, wishing not to be quoted, said the final hearing on the closure of CETPs or on the working of dyeing units in the city would be held on July 22 by the NGT.

“For all these months, the state government did not pay any heed towards the resolution as the Public Action Committee (PAC) has already moved the NGT that since the CETPs were not fulfilling the norms, these must not be allowed to dump effluents into the dariya. Neither the state government nor the PPCB took the orders of the NGT seriously. Now, when the final hearing date was approaching, a high-level committee has been formed,” the official said.

Ashok Makkar, Chairman, Punjab Dyers Association, told The Tribune that a delegation of dyeing units had met Sanjeev Arora, Minister for Industries and Commerce, Punjab, and had explained that the government had to make necessary arrangements to provide treated water to agricultural fields for irrigation, which it had announced way back in 2015-16 but since the government failed to do its part, the PAC moved the NGT against the dyeing units for allegedly polluting the dariya.

Bobby Jindal from the association, however, said the state government was requested to lay separate channel/pipe along the nullah to carry treated effluents from three CETPs and both STPs, as per the scheme prepared by the Irrigation/Drainage Department for an estimated cost of about Rs 36 crore.

“Only this will help the dyeing industry as the state government had earlier promised to provide separate channels for irrigation in the fields. If the government fails to do so, the dyeing industry will be shut in Ludhiana,” he said.