Ludhiana: Seechewal flays officials over non-functional Haibowal ETP

Seechewal, who has been leading a cleanliness drive of the Buddha Nullah through ‘kar seva’, said administrative lapses were undermining efforts to restore the polluted waterbody

Raising serious concern over pollution in the Buddha Nullah, Rajya Sabha MP and environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal has criticised the functioning of civic agencies after the Haibowal Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) remained non-operational for the past 25 days and a temporary treatment system near the Tajpur Dairy Complex collapsed.

Officials informed him that the plant had been facing repeated breakdowns due to excessive inflow of dung. (HT Photo)

Seechewal, who has been leading a cleanliness drive of the Buddha Nullah through ‘kar seva’, said administrative lapses were undermining efforts to restore the polluted waterbody. He alleged that unchecked discharge of untreated waste was continuing despite ongoing clean-up initiatives.

Seechewal said people in Rajasthan and the Malwa region depend on the Sutlej river for drinking water, making it crucial to control pollution at its source. He claimed that dairy units and dyeing industries in Ludhiana were releasing untreated and toxic waste into the Buddha Nullah without adequate monitoring.

During his second inspection this month, Seechewal expressed displeasure over the Haibowal ETP plant remaining shut and sought accountability from officials of the Municipal Corporation, Sewerage Board, Punjab Pollution Control Board and the executing agency. He questioned who would be held responsible for allowing untreated animal waste to enter the drain.

Officials informed him that the plant had been facing repeated breakdowns due to excessive inflow of dung.

The issue of pending payments also surfaced during the inspection, with the company operating the plant claiming that dues amounting to around ₹19 crore had not been cleared by the MC for over two-and-a-half years.

At the Tajpur Dairy Complex, a temporary treatment arrangement based on the Seechewal model had been put in place earlier to manage cattle waste, with 15 to 17 tippers of dung being lifted daily. However, with the system now having collapsed, untreated wastewater is directly flowing into the Buddha Nullah, aggravating pollution concerns.

Seechewal noted that cleaning work in rural stretches, including Jainpur, Barnhara and Talwara, was continuing. He said several excavator machines had been deployed to remove accumulated waste from the drain.

Executive engineer Balraj Singh said, “Cow dung is properly coming into the plant which had turned down the plant and its repair work is going on and will start its operation from Tuesday. I have also told MC officials to start lifting the cow dung”.

‘Inefficiency at official level major hurdle’

Seechewal said that although the quality of water in the Buddha Nullah had shown some improvement due to continuous efforts, repeated administrative failures were reversing the gains. He maintained that inefficiency at the official level remained a major hurdle in achieving the vision of a clean and vibrant Punjab.