Sanjha Morcha, Zira, on Sunday announced that they will from January 6 intensify their agitation going on outside Malbros International Private Limited, an alcohol-making unit at Mansurwal village of Ferozepur.
While addressing the protesters, Gurmail Singh, Mansurwal sarpanch and a member of Sanjha Morcha, Zira, lashed out heavily on the owners of liquor factory as well as the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab.
He urged the people of Punjab to “burn effigies of the state government and hoist black flags on their rooftops to support their agitation being held to save sand, land and environment of state”.
“The Punjab government led by Bhagwant Mann is determined to safeguard the interests of liquor factory owners and doing nothing concrete against corporates,” Gurmail claimed.
“On January 6, (at the bhog ceremony of Rajbir Gill, a 35-year-old man, who died of diseases allegedly caused by pollution from the liquor unit) rich tributes will be paid to the young farmer who fell prey to effluents of this factory. People from the entire state will participate and lodge their protest against the factory,” he added.
“We challenge the factory owners to join us in an open debate on the pollution in their unit’s vicinity. We will also submit evident proofs in support of our claims, provided the factory owners permanently shut down their operations here,” said Roman Brar, another farm leader.
{{/usCountry}}“We challenge the factory owners to join us in an open debate on the pollution in their unit’s vicinity. We will also submit evident proofs in support of our claims, provided the factory owners permanently shut down their operations here,” said Roman Brar, another farm leader.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s ironic that people living in the vicinity of liquor factory are often dying due to various diseases, allegedly due to pollution caused by this factory, but the government has been waiting for the reports from its so-called probe committees,” claimed Fateh Singh, a farm leader.
It may here be mentioned here that earlier, the National Green Tribunal had given a clean chit to the liquor factory owners. However, after a meeting of Sanjha Morcha, Zira, with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, four high-level committees of experts were constituted to discuss and investigate charges of pollution by the liquor factory.
After many flip-flops, Sanjha Morcha had accused these fact-finding teams as well as the state government of being biased and boycotted the probe.
Till Saturday, 15 samples from various areas in the vicinity of liquor factory were collected by the soil conservation team, while experts from the animal husbandry had gathered 28 samples. Experts from the health department, in collaboration with local teams, have already got the survey of the area done for the suspected cancer cases in 44 nearby villages.
Representatives from three labs finalised in consent with Sanjha Morcha, Zira, are also likely to start sampling in the area from Monday.
The health team will submit its report by January 10.
In response to an appeal by the factory owners, the Punjab and Haryana high court had asked the state authorities to deposit ₹20 crore into its Registry and also move protesters 300 metres away from the factory gate to ensure hassle free entry and exit of the staff.
While ₹20 crore was deposited in the court, the state government failed to remove the protesters and the factory had been lying closed since July 26.
The next hearing in the case is on February 28.