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Stop dumping waste in Buddha Nullah by Sept 30 or face action: PPCB tells dairy owners
Dairy owners said that they are ready to find a solution but need support from the state government and PPCB
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has given an ultimatum to around 24 dairy owners of Bhamiyan Kalan village to stop dumping waste in Buddha Nullah by September 30 or be ready to get their power connections snapped.
The dairy owners appeared for a hearing with the PPCB member secretary, Krunesh Garg through video conferencing on Tuesday, following which the dairy owners were directed to stop dumping waste and cow dung in the stream, or face action.
On the condition of anonymity, a PPCB official said warnings and notices had been issued earlier too but despite that many dairy owners were still dumping the waste into the nullah. On the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the PPCB has started tightening the noose around the violators. Earlier the municipal corporation commissioner Pradeep Sabharwal had also pointed out that PPCB should take action against dairy owners outside the MC limit.
PPCB superintending engineer Sandeep Bahl said, “The dairy owners have been given time till September 30 to make necessary arrangements to stop dumping waste in the stream. If they fail to do so, the PPCB would write to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the drainage department to snap the electricity and disposal points respectively.”
Dairy owners said that they are ready to find a solution but need support from the state government and PPCB.
Chairman of dairy owners association, Deepak Khaneja said, “Even we do not want to pollute the stream. We are even ready to get the nullah cleaned, but PPCB should help us to come up with a solution.”
“We are also ready to set up a treatment plant and have demanded that PPCB should get us a subsidy like that being provided to dyeing owners within the city limits for setting up Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP). But the PPCB officials are not providing any help, said Khaneja adding that they are filing a petition against the PPCB in the high court.
