Threshers installed at mandi, residents choke

Tribune News Service

Morinda, November 12

The arrival of paddy in the local market has proved to be a nightmare for local residents as the contractor, deployed to remove the leftover generated during the paddy procurement process, has installed threshers to separate rice.

Irked by the pollution caused by the threshers, a large number of residents from adjoining localities staged a protest at the grain market here yesterday.

Though the contractor claimed the threshers were being used to help provide grain to poor labourers, the residents said they had been facing health issues due to the suspended particles generated by the threshers.

Baljinder Singh, a nearby resident, said the pollution levels increased in the area during the procurement season every year. “Things have deteriorated as threshers have been installed, leading to a rise in pollution levels,” he said, adding the condition of his wife, who is suffering from skin allergy, had aggravated.

Surinder Singh, another resident, claimed a few asthmatic patients in his area had complained of uneasiness due to air pollution.

Morinda Market Committee secretary Archana Bansal said before the procurement process started, the paddy brought by farmers was cleaned using vibrating sieves and high-pressure air, which generated small grain particles.

“Labourers are employed in the market to remove the leftover. The contractor who had been allocated the work had installed threshers to mill such paddy, causing air pollution in the area,” she added.

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Told to remove machines

“Local residents had lodged a complaint and the contractor has been asked to remove threshers within three days”

— Ravinder Singh, SDM