355 cases filed for canal pollution: Minister

Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Thursday said as many as 355 cases had been registered against the violators to check pollution of canals.

Replying to a query raised by MLA Naresh Puri during the Question Hour, the minster said the department had identified 492 points to curb pollution of drains and canals. He said people were indiscriminately disposing of waste not just on canal banks but directly into the canals.

The issue was particularly pronounced in urban areas and certain rural regions, posing a significant threat to water quality, especially given that canal water is used both for irrigation and drinking purposes, he said. The minister said the measures included taking strict legal actions, such as imposing fines under Section 70 of Northern India Canal and Drainage Act and filing of FIRs against offenders under Section 279 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

He said to ensure accountability, necessary disciplinary action was recommended against erring government officials such as executive officers in urban areas and BDPOs in rural areas. To discourage people from throwing garbage into the canals, he said the department was planning to instal wire mesh on the banks of the Sidhwan canal when it passes through Ludhiana city. Similar works could be executed in other parts of the state, he said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority (PWRDA) has made it mandatory for all industrial, commercial, institutional and healthcare units, which extract more than 300 cubic metre per month groundwater, to obtain permission from the authority.

Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said inspection teams comprising government officials would inspect all such units to identify unauthorised groundwater extraction. He said non-compliance charges, including groundwater compensation charges, would be imposed on such units operating without valid permission.

The authority urged all users to comply with the regulations and apply online for obtaining permission for extracting groundwater.

Recruitment of labour inspectors

In response to a question raised by Principal Budh Ram, the minister informed the House that the recruitment process for 52 labour inspectors was currently in progress and was expected to be completed soon. He highlighted that the Labour Department had sanctioned posts of 95 labour inspectors, of which only 35 had been recurited. Due to this shortfall, existing inspectors are required to manage multiple circles in addition to their designated postings, posing challenges in ensuring their physical presence in every assigned jurisdiction.

The minister said the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board had already conducted a written examination for 52 posts on March 9. Upon completion of the recruitment process, the department will be strengthened with 52 newly appointed labour inspectors, significantly improving service delivery and regulatory oversight.