‘Seechewal Model’ to be adopted in 178 villages, says Dy Speaker

Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri today announced that the ‘Seechewal model’ for wastewater management would be implemented in all 178 villages of his constituency of Garhshankar.

He made this statement after paying obeisance at the Nirmal Kutiya Seechewal – Seechewal’s establishment at Seechewal village – on the banks of the Kali Bein.

Rouri also inspected the Seechewal model and nurseries at the Kutiya.

Following Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Bajwa’s recent comments, Rouri has become the first political leader of the state to visit Seechewal personally and extend support to the environmentalist and Rajya Sabha MP.

The Deputy Speaker stated that the panchayats of 178 villages in Garhshankar would be brought to Seechewal and Sultanpur Lodhi to study the “Seechewal model”.

LoP Partap Bajwa had courted controversy by declaring the Seechewal model a “failure” and addressing the environmentalist as a “contractor”. Since then, Seechewal had issued pointed retorts to him, terming the Seechewal model a success in his statements to the media.

On Saturday, a conglomerate of religious bodies, the Nirmal Sant Mandal, had also extended support to Seechewal by announcing to boycott the Congress and had sought an apology from Bajwa for his comments.

Highlighting the model’s effectiveness, Rouri today said that Seechewal model had been recommended for cleaning the national river Ganga, so it was bound to be successful. He strongly condemned Opposition leader Pratap Singh Bajwa’s remarks in the Punjab Assembly, where he labelled the Seechewal model a failure.

Rouri said under the Seechewal model, treated wastewater was used for irrigation, which helped in conserving groundwater. Rouri emphasised the initiative would play a crucial role in addressing Punjab’s water crisis and pollution issues.

Responding sharply to Bajwa’s remark referring to Seechewal as a “contractor”, Rouri said Seechewal had truly taken up the responsibility of making Punjab pollution-free. He added that while the Congress governments contributed to the pollution of the Budha Dariya, Seechewal had been working relentlessly to clean it. He also remarked that people of Punjab strongly disapproved of the way the Congress viewd saints and social reformers who dedicated themselves to public service.

Seechewal honoured Deputy Speaker Rouri with a siropa (robe of honour) and a sapling. He demonstrated wastewater treatment arrangements under the Seechewal model and stated that this system had been running successfully since 1999, requiring cleaning only twice in 26 years. Seechewal also measured the TDS level of the treated water.