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Clean Buddha Nullah or stop campaign: Kataria to officials in Ludhiana
Gulab Chand Kataria directs strict action against polluters, forms joint team to monitor cleanup work and departments told to show results before December review
Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday expressed strong displeasure over the slow pace of the Buddha Nullah rejuvenation project, warning officials to either deliver tangible results or halt the work altogether.
Chairing a review meeting at Punjab Agricultural University, the governor said, “If officers do not have the will to clean the Buddha Nullah, then stop the campaign right here.”
This was the governor’s fifth review of the project and he noted that despite repeated assurances and multiple meetings, visible improvement on the ground has remained limited. Calling Budha Nullah one of Punjab’s biggest environmental challenges, he directed all departments to take strict action against polluting factories and dairies.
The governor has instructed deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain to form a joint team comprising officials from Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, Punjab Pollution Control Board and Drainage and Sewerage Board. The team will hold two meetings every month to accelerate cleaning operations, he said. Karatia also sought a detailed report on the functioning of sewage treatment plants in Ludhiana and warned that accountability will be fixed if progress is not seen soon.
Kataria has emphasised that all departments must work in coordination and show visible results before the next review meeting on December 22.
Accompanying the governor, Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal said the project would fail unless responsibility was fixed on officials.
Seechewal submitted a 25-point action plan citing illegal encroachments, industrial discharge and dairy waste as major pollution sources and warned that neglect was affecting public health in the Malwa and Rajasthan regions.
The deputy commissioner has assured the governor that the demarcation of Buddha Nullah would be completed within two weeks and that encroachments along its banks would be removed.
Earlier, the governor visited Sangat Ghat near Tajpur Road and inspected cleaning works carried out through voluntary service and also checked TDS levels of water, which showed signs of improvement.
“The Buddha Nullah is not just Ludhiana’s issue but the pride of Punjab. It must be restored to its original glory,” Kataria said.
