50 swachhata monitors to safeguard Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah

A trial for the same will be conducted on Friday and teams will be permanently deputed on the site

In a bid to discourage residents from polluting the Buddha Nullah — a seasonal stream that drains into the Sutlej — the civic body has decided to deploy a dedicated team of 50 swachhata monitors who will fine violators and ensure residents’ compliance. A trial for the same will be conducted on Friday and teams will be permanently deputed on the site from Monday.

Those polluting the Buddha Nullah can be fined up to ₹5,000. (HT File)

The teams cover the entire stretch, spanning 14-km, within the city. The staff will work in two shifts from 6 am to 6pm. The police will mediate any disagreements between staff and residents.

Stopping residents from dumping waste into the nullah has proved to be a Sisyphean task for the municipal corporation so far. The monitoring committee of the National Green Tribunal had also directed the MC to rectify the problem. Clumps of waste can be seen accumulated at different points in the sullied rivulet, whose stench is unbearable.

The civic body has also started surveying industrial units situated on the banks of the nullah, to keep a check on dumping of industrial waste, especially hosiery waste, into the rivulet. Efforts are being made to ensure door-to-door lifting of garbage from houses situated in the vicinity of the stream.

Officials, on condition of anonymity, said the MC will also start a project to install iron fencing alongside the stream under the smart city mission. MC health branch nodal officer Ashwani Sahota said the MC had also involved traffic marshals for conducting awareness drives. The marshals have also been organising awareness drives in areas alongside the rivulet for the last few days.

Violators may be fined upto ₹5,000

MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said, “The state government is already working on a ₹650 crore project to clean Buddha Nullah but the civic body has decided to stop residents from dumping waste in the nullah first. MC employees will be deputed along the banks of the nullah and challans of upto ₹5,000 will be imposed on violators as per the solid waste bylaws notified by the local bodies’ department.”

Swachh Bharat Mission state project director Puran Singh, who has been in the city for the last two days, has been chalking plans to stop the residents from dumping waste in the nullah. Singh also visited schools and colleges to involve students and National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets in the awareness drives.