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Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Waste treatment plants face hefty fines amid violations
Even as the state and central government have pumped in crores of rupees for the construction of sewage and effluent treatment infrastructure in Ludhiana, these facilities have come under serious scrutiny for repeated environmental violations. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has slapped environmental compensation (EC) running into crores on various common effluent treatment plants (CETPs), effluent treatment plants (ETPs), and sewage treatment plants (STPs) across the city for failing to comply with environmental norms in the past few years. In several orders issued over the past few years, the PPCB has pointed to a consistent failure in plant operations, ranging from non-functioning equipment to untreated discharge being released into natural drains. While the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC), in its defence, has submitted that it completed the construction of several STPs and handed them over to the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, the penalties continue to be imposed due to lapses during operational control and maintenance periods. According to officials, these violations indicate serious negligence on the part of the civic body and related departments. While crores have been spent on the construction of these plants, environmental compensation of almost equal magnitude has been levied — reflecting systemic issues in their operation and monitoring. Among the biggest violators is the CETP at Bahadur Ke. In a series of five different EC orders issued between October 2022 and January 2025, a total penalty of nearly ₹10 crore has been imposed. Similarly, the 50 MLD CETP near the Central Jail on Tajpur Road has faced six EC orders in just four months between September 2024 and January 2025, with fines totalling over ₹5 crore. The 40 MLD CETP at Focal Point was hit with a ₹2.96 crore penalty this March. Meanwhile, STPs at Balloke and Bhattian have also faced fines ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹68 lakh each. Environmental compensation has also been imposed due to the non-installation of CETPs for dairy complexes, with the PPCB issuing a ₹3.6 crore penalty in March 2023. Environmental experts have raised concerns about the mounting penalties, warning that unless strict accountability and timely corrective measures are implemented, the city will continue to face both ecological damage and financial loss. The situation reflects a dual failure- massive investments made into the infrastructure on one hand, and a string of costly environmental penalties on the other. With EC orders continuing, the civic body is now under pressure to not only fix the operational gaps but also ensure that environmental safeguards are genuinely implemented on ground. PPCB chief RK Rattra said, 'The EC has been imposed by the PPCB during past few years and regular action is also being taken against offenders. Few of the compensations have been deposited but rest remain yet to be submitted by the departments and CETPs.' Rajya Sabha MP, Balbir Singh Seechewal said, 'The 2.25 MLD ETP, which was made few years ago on Tajpur Road at the cost of ₹9 crore but EC imposed on this plant is more than ₹3 crore which is a sheer wastage and pressure on common people as this is taxpayers' money. I request the MC officials and other departments to dispose of the cow dung at Tajpur Road dairy complex area so that the ETP can run properly and cow dung is not released into the Buddha Nullah.'
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Punjab Pollution Control Board issues ultimatum to Ludhiana's scattered dyeing units to adopt zero-liquid-discharge technology or shift out of city.
Ludhiana: The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has issued a final ultimatum to nearly four-dozen scattered local dyeing units — adopt zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology by the end of the year or shift operations outside the city. The directive is part of an intensified crackdown to prevent untreated industrial effluents from contaminating the Buddha Dariya, a heavily polluted urban drain in the heart of the city that joins the Satluj. While cleaning efforts outside Ludhiana have shown significant progress, authorities are struggling to curb wastewater inflows within city limits, from small-scale dyeing units particularly. R K Ratra, chief engineer at the PPCB, said: "Operators of these units must either install ZLD systems or relocate to designated industrial hubs. The deadline for infrastructure setup is Sept 2025, with full compliance expected by Dec." Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, a noted environmental activist, is spearheading efforts to restore the Buddha Dariya through community-driven 'kar sewa' (voluntary service). Despite these efforts, several units operating in pockets such as Industrial Area, Jalandhar Bypass, and Samrala Chowk continue discharging untreated wastewater into municipal sewers, undermining the broader cleanup mission. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 그랜저 월32만원에 신차장기렌트 지금 바로! ★특판할인★ 렌트런 할인 보기 Undo The owners of a few units have submitted compliance proposals to the PPCB. While a few are adopting ZLD, others prepare to move their operations outside city limits, where treated water will be repurposed for irrigation. Larger textile manufacturers, meanwhile, are opting to outsource dyeing to third-party fabricators or cease in-house processing altogether. Notably, while the PPCB urged Ludhiana's municipal corporation to disconnect sewer lines of non-compliant units more than two years ago, no action has been taken. Officials cite pending decisions from the state govt as the reason for inaction. As the Dec 2025 deadline looms, PPCB officials have claimed that monitoring and enforcement will intensify to ensure Ludhiana's waterways are no longer used as industrial dumping grounds. MSID:: 121314890 413 |
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
2 minors drown at Seechewal event; activists seek FIR
A day after two minor boys drowned in Buddha Nullah on Tajpur road in Ludhiana during a religious event organised by AAP Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, city environmentalists and activists demanded an FIR and a thorough probe into the incident, questioning how 'ghats could be allowed on the banks of a polluted stream without any safety checks'. Seechewal has been doing 'sewa' by cleaning the polluted Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana for the past few months. At the ghat where the incident took place, he had organised 'ardaas' (prayer gathering) on Sunday and had invited people to participate in the event. He had posted the invitation on his official Facebook page, reading that the event was organised to pray for 'Sarbat da bhala' (wellbeing of all) and 'vishav vich sukh shaanti' (world peace). He claimed in the invite that the Buddha Nullah water was 'comparatively clean' near the Central Jail on Tajpur road where the event was organised. The families of both minors — Abhay Kumar, 15, and Gurjeet Singh, 13 — who drowned on Sunday, alleged that organisers had made no safety arrangements, while the organisers claimed that the children were repeatedly warned 'not to go towards the side where water was deep'. Demanding an FIR and a thorough probe into the incident, activists and environmentalists under the umbrella of the Public Action Committee (PAC), in a statement questioned that 'how such ghats were allowed to open at first place, and that too in the polluted waters of Buddha Nullah laden with industrial chemicals and effluents'. PAC member Kuldeep Singh Khaira said, 'The drowning incident needs a very quick and high-level investigation after registration of an FIR under appropriate sections of the BNS.' 'In the first place, how were such ghats allowed next to the outlets of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) by the government, and which officials gave permission? What was the need for such ghats when the primary demand was to stop industrial effluents? Which officer did the safety audits of these ghats? Why has no FIR so far been registered? Where is accountability? Will anyone be held responsible for the two deaths?' questioned Jaskirat Singh, another PAC member. The PAC has been alleging that Seechewal is using 'unscientific methods' to clean the Buddha Nullah laden with industrial effluents and chemicals from industries, and questioned how poisonous chemicals can be removed from the stream by doing a 'kar sewa'? Kapil Dev, an engineer and a PAC member, said, 'These ghats should be named 'Akal Di Ghat' (lack of wisdom) and 'Sharam Di Ghat' (lack of shame) as they were not for any productive purpose or cleaning of the stream but simply due to a tearing hurry of the government and Baba Seechewal to take credit before cleaning the stream. On the one hand, the government is not following NGT orders despite multiple reminders to stop illegal CETPs, while on the other, they are in such a hurry to create ghats which have nothing to do with cleaning of the river.' Seechewal, meanwhile, expressed his 'sadness' over the incident and said, 'The event was organised to celebrate the 'ceasefire' between India and Pakistan. What happened was truly unfortunate. People were asked not to go to the side where the nullah was deep, but they still went despite this. Inspector Bhupinder Singh at the Division Number 7 police station said no FIR had been registered so far into the incident. 'We have filed inquest proceedings as it was a tragedy,' he said.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Quality of water in Buddha Dariya improving: Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal
Ludhiana: Environmentalist and Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal visited the spot near Central Jail where Buddha Dariya flows and claimed that TDS levels of the water were gradually coming down. However, the actual test starts beyond this point, where treated water from the common effluent treatment plants of dyeing units, as well as the 225 MLD sewage treatment plant, flows into the drain. Expressing optimism about the improvement in quality of water in the Buddha Dariya, Seechewal said that he had directed officials to ensure that no untreated water flowed into the drain. Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) was asked to monitor industrial units regularly and catch defaulters dumping untreated waste water into the the wake of repeated reports of industrial discharge reaching the STP, members of the Kale Pani Da Morcha group have been slamming authorities for not acting against violators. Operation Sindoor Pak drones enter Indian airspace, explosions heard just hours after truce deal Sirens, explosions in border districts after Pak breaks deal: What we know so far 'What happened to ceasefire?' J&K CM after explosions heard across Srinagar They even asked the administration to close down outlets of CETPs as they were not valid Seechewal asked civic officials to get the Buddha Dariya near the national highway cleaned as the flow of water at this point is not smooth. With the MC shifting the responsibility to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the MP will fix a meeting with NHAI authorities to get the cleaning said that they had cleaned part of the drain and were regularly monitoring the situation. He said that TDS levels were coming down and they would continue with their cleaning drive. After waste material was scooped out of the drain, its depth increased by five feet, Seechewal said. He expressed the hope that the Buddha Dariya would not flood over on this stretch as they had raised the level of the banks by four feet. Seechewal started cleaning the Buddha Dariya with his supporters last December. Since then, residents of villages near Tajpur Road have experienced remarkable changes in the condition of the drain. A bathing ghat was constructed near Bhukhari village, where people bathed on Baisakhi, while a cleanliness drive is going on at a second bathing ghat near Tajpur Road. MSID:: 121057006 413 |
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
‘Stop discharge of polluted water into Buddha Dariya'
Ludhiana: Amid the ongoing karsewa at Buddha Dariya , two significant meetings were held Friday, resulting in strict administrative decisions. MP Balbir Singh Seechewal firmly directed officials that under no circumstances should polluted water be allowed to enter Buddha Dariya. He said the collection of dung and waste from dairies was managed for two months, and even a 5.5 acre of land was provided on lease so that dairy operators could dispose of the waste the meeting, the deputy commissioner instructed the officials that dairy operators should use water judiciously and must install storage tanks to minimise water the same meeting, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation additional commissioner Paramdeep Singh Khaira directed Glada officials to take all necessary measures to stop the discharge of polluted water into Buddha Dariya. Operation Sindoor PM Modi meets NSA, chiefs of armed forces amid spike in tensions with Pak India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan Several airports in India to be closed till May 15 - check list Steps were also mandated to prevent water misuse at the Tajpur Dairy engineer of the Punjab Pollution Control Board , RK Rattra, emphasised that no factory should be allowed to discharge toxic or polluted water into the Dariya. He assured strict enforcement and action against the issue of hormone injections being administered to cattle in dairies to increase milk production was also taken up. These injections were reported as being extremely harmful to human health. Seechewal made it clear that the health of Punjab's people should not be compromised in any way. Officials were urged to take firm and adequate measures to ensure the purity of milk. The meeting also addressed the living conditions of labourers working in dairies, emphasising the need for proper air, water, and basic facilities.
