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Ludhiana: Villagers protest outside police station over pollution from chemical factory
According to the protesters, land in Bishanpura village was acquired for setting up a tile factory but a chemical factory came up instead. They said the pungent smell of chemicals from the factory spreads across the region, causing health issues among locals.
{Bishanpura, Barmalipur}
Residents of Bishanpura and Barmalipur villages staged a protest late on Wednesday outside the Doraha police station over ‘severe pollution caused by a chemical factory’ in the area.
The protesters, supported by farmer leaders, blocked traffic on the service road and raised slogans against Punjab Police and the factory owners.
According to the protesters, land in Bishanpura village was acquired for setting up a tile factory but a chemical factory came up instead. They said the pungent smell of chemicals from the factory spreads across the region, causing health issues among locals. They alleged that authorities concerned have not taken any action despite repeated complaints.
The locals said they were ‘fed up’ with the inaction and formed a monitoring team to track the factory’s activities. On Wednesday, they found a tanker illegally dumping chemical waste on government land in Barmalipur village. They intercepted the tanker and called the police, who took it into custody, the protesters said.
The villagers claim that the half-filled tanker was parked at the police station overnight but when a Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) team arrived on Thursday to collect samples, the tanker was found empty.
Investigation officer Hardam Singh, who was at the protest site, said the tanker was empty before the inspection. He assured the protesters that necessary action will be taken after investigation. The protest was called off after the assurance.
