‘Freedom from pollution’ protest: Shift dairies away from Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah, says PAC

A PAC member said protests will be staged across Punjab to draw attention to the different sources of pollution in demanding that dairy complexes near Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah be relocated

Members of the Public Action Committee (PAC) for Sutlej, Mattewara and Buddha Dariya (rejuvenated Buddha Nullah) held a ‘freedom from pollution’ protest on Sunday demanding that dairy complexes near the rivulet be relocated, instead of setting up effluent treatment plants (ETPs).

A PAC suggested shifting dairies away from Ludhiana’s Buddha Nullah to put an end to the pollution. (Shutterstock)

PAC member Colonel CM Lakhanpal said protests will be staged across Punjab to draw attention to the different sources of pollution in the state. “In Ludhiana, the protest started from Dhanansu village on the bank of the Buddha Nullah, and culminated at the dairy ETPs on Tajpur Road.

Colonel JS Gill, who is a member of the Buddha Dariya Task Force, said, “Dairy waste cannot be treated in ETPs.The proposal has been opposed by many experts, including former IAS officer KS Pannu, who was former chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board and convener of the Buddha Dariya Task Force. The government should not allow bureaucrats without a technical background to take such an important decision and should heed to the advice of independent experts and scientists.”

Claiming that ETPs will jeopardise the ₹840 crore Buddha Dariya rejuvenation project, Jaskirat Singh of PAC said, “Work to set up the ETPs should be stopped immediately, and dairies should be relocated to surrounding villages instead.”