Chandigarh, May 23: A delegation of MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Khaira, will meet the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Chairperson, Justice Jawad Rahim, on May 23 in New Delhi to complain about the dangerous levels of contamination and pollution in the rivers and canals of Punjab endangering aquatic animals and humans.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, Khaira said that the legislative wing of AAP had decided to take up the issue of dangerous contamination and pollution in the rivers, rivulets, canals and drains of Punjab, with the NGT in the backdrop of the contamination of Beas river by a sugar mill.
Citing the latest release of noxious molasses of Chadha Sugar Mill of Kiri Afghana, that took the toll of thousands of fish and other species living in the Beas river, Khaira hit out at the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, for failing to take stringent action against such violations. “It is an open secret that the family of late Ponty Chadha as well as the Sarnas of Delhi are very closely connected to the Chief Minister, hence the government and the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) have turned mute spectators to the disaster in our rivers,” alleged Khaira.
He said the step of approaching the NGT was necessitated as the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) had miserably failed to discharge its duty to protect environment and pollution in the rivers of the state, primarily caused due to untreated industrial waste allowed to flow into the rivulets and rivers of the state. Khaira said its common knowledge that like other government departments, PPCB too works under political pressure.
The Leader of Opposition said he was alarmed to note the huge quantum of industrial toxic waste, medical waste, untreated sewerage of villages and Ludhiana city flowing in the infamous Budda-Nala. He claimed more than 7.5 million liters of such waste flows through the Budda-Nala everyday and merges with river Sutlej at village Balipur in Ludhiana district, wrecking havoc on water species, animals including live stock and of course the lives of people of the state.
Khaira said it was a matter of great shame for Capt Amarinder Singh, who claims to be ‘Pannian-Da-Rakha’ (savior of the waters), that the people of Malwa region particularly the districts of Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot, Bathinda etc, are drinking grossly poisonous and contaminated water flowing from the Sirhind canal into the water works of the villages. He said the latest poison released in the river Beas and Sutlej is bound to multiply many more times the spread of cancer, hepatitis, kidney ailments in the Malwa region and the state.
Source Tribune India
