CHANDIGARH The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday agreed to constitute a committee to retest the water in the vicinity of Malbros International Private Limited, an alcohol-making unit in Mansurwal village of Zira assembly segment, Ferozepur, for any contamination, provided the protesters vacated the site. The high court was hearing plea with regards to the protest outside the factory.
The high court bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj has given the protesters time till Friday, December 23, when the case will come up for hearing again. The detailed HC order is, however, awaited.
“200-odd protesters have been identified and two of them are petitioners before the court. Their properties have also been identified. One gate of the unit has been made functional,” said Vinod Ghai, AG Punjab.
The high court has now asked the protestors to respond by Friday to the proposal discussed during the hearing on Tuesday.
The court was hearing a plea by the firm, Malbros International Private Limited, Ferozepur, filed in July alleging that there had been an indefinite protest outside their company due to which it was lying closed since July 26. The firm had said it was suffering financial losses to the forced shutdown.
Protesters have been alleging violations of environmental norms by the unit. However, the government had admitted in court that the unit has commenced operations as per the laid down laws. The government has also admitted that protesters were sitting on a dharna illegally. From time to time, the court had ordered that the protest be lifted. However, authorities failed to clear the site of protesters. On October 19, seeing non-compliance with its orders, the high court ordered the state to deposit ₹5 cr with the registry.
{{/usCountry}}Protesters have been alleging violations of environmental norms by the unit. However, the government had admitted in court that the unit has commenced operations as per the laid down laws. The government has also admitted that protesters were sitting on a dharna illegally. From time to time, the court had ordered that the protest be lifted. However, authorities failed to clear the site of protesters. On October 19, seeing non-compliance with its orders, the high court ordered the state to deposit ₹5 cr with the registry.
{{/usCountry}}The government in November was told to deposit ₹15 cr with the registry and a committee headed by justice RK Nehru (retd) was been set up to examine losses incurred by the firm and asked to submit a report within two months. The HC had also issued show cause contempt notices to concerned officials for failing to implement its orders. So far, rejecting appeals by the authorities and laboratories reports giving clean chit to the distillery, protesting villagers said they would lift dharna only after the unit is closed permanently.