STF chief inspects demarcation process of Buddha Nullah; seeks report on scattered dairy, dyeing units
The residents have been demanding the removal of encroachments for a long time, claiming that the width of the nullah has decreased due to encroachments
With Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) commencing the process to demarcate Buddha Nullah to remove encroachments, head of Special Task Force (STF) constituted to clean the nullah, Satguru Uday Singh inspected the ongoing work on Thursday.
The residents have been demanding the removal of encroachments after the demarcation of Buddha Nullah for a long time, claiming that the width of the nullah has decreased due to encroachments. As a result, it overflows during monsoon and residents have to bear the brunt after sewer water enters their house.
The STF chief also conducted a meeting with officials of different departments at Zone D office of the MC and directed the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials to conduct a final survey of dairy and dyeing units in the city including the scattered units, so that the government could take a final decision on how to deal with the pollution being created by these units. A meeting of the STF is expected to take place on July 20 in Chandigarh.
Sources in the civic body said that the MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal also slammed the PPCB officials for not being able to conduct a survey of scattered units till this time.
On the demand of Punjab Dyers Associations, directions were also issued to the PPCB officials for taking action against the scattered dyeing units, if the owners fail to get these units attached with Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) and continue dumping untreated waste in the nullah. Ashok Makkar, Bobby Jindal and Vijay Mehtani represented the dyers in the meeting and said that the construction work of CETPs for units at Tajpur road and Focal point would be completed within three months.
Sabharwal said, “The demarcation process has been commenced and officials of the irrigation and revenue department are also involved in the same. It will be completed in 15 days. After identifying the encroachments, notices would be issued and encroachments would be removed for beautification and widening of the nullah.”
“When we visited Bhaimiyan village to inspect the demarcation process, I saw around a dozen dairy units dumping waste in the nullah in Bhamiyan village, but the PPCB officials have not planned to deal with the issue,” said Sabharwal.
Spokesperson of Naamdhari sect, Sukhvinder Singh Lyall said, “Satguru Uday Singh has sought a final survey report on dairy and dyeing units in the city including the scattered units from PPCB within a week. The reports would be tabled in the next meeting of STF, which is also mulling shifting of dairy units outside the city.”