Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan) on Monday concluded its five-day agitation against contamination of water bodies, but warned of similar protests in future if the Punjab government’s fails to act on concerns raised during the stir.
The agitation, “save water, save environment”, took place across 16 places, including outside textile giant Trident Group’s unit at Dhaula village in Barnala, and put the spotlight on water pollution due to industrial effluents.
On the last day, union president Joginder Singh Ugrahan reiterated his allegation that the state government was “helping corporate houses to control states’ waters at the behest of the World Bank”.
“The government is accepting that the state’s water has been contaminated but it is doing nothing to take action on those who did it. The government should terminate all agreements that have given control of water to corporate houses,” he said.
Local bodies minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar has earlier clarified that the World Bank-funded canal water supply project coming up in various cities of Punjab will be run by the state government and will not be handed over to private players.
In Ludhiana, where the agitation was held on the banks of Buddha Nullah, the Public Action Committee (PAC), which led the protest against now-scrapped textile park at Mattewara, extended support to the protesting farmers and joined them on the last day.
{{/usCountry}}In Ludhiana, where the agitation was held on the banks of Buddha Nullah, the Public Action Committee (PAC), which led the protest against now-scrapped textile park at Mattewara, extended support to the protesting farmers and joined them on the last day.
{{/usCountry}}PAC member Kuldeep Khaira said the issue regarding the pollution of water bodies concerns every resident as groundwater is also being contaminated. “The PAC will always stand with farm unions on this issue and the public should also step forward to pressure the government to act at the earliest,” he said.