BADAL DEFERS ACTION AGAINST 26 'POLLUTIN
Ludhiana July 19:
In a reported bid to appease industrymen and his political allies, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal has deferred the campaign that he initiated against the "polluting" industry.
Badal, who had shifted the entire battery of Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to Ludhiana a few days ago to check the polluting dyeing units, has now asked the Punjab State Electricity Board not to take any action against the 26 polluting units pointed out by PPCB.
With this announcement, the city's industry has heaved a sigh of relief and PPCB, which had become a terror for the dyeing units, has lost teeth. All eyes are now on a meeting scheduled to be held on July 20 in which the opinion of a seven-member committee formed by the chief minister will be considered to decide upon further action plan to deal with the dyeing industry. Sources said the government is likely to give two months' time to the industry to set its house in order.
Spelling out the demands and grievances of the industry, Ashok Makkar, one of the leaders of dyeing industry association in the city, said, "The government must treat water in its own plants and charge the industrialists for the same. They should install sealed meters in our units and monitor those regularly." He also said the municipal corporation should provide the sewer line to the industry on Tajpur Road at the earliest.
Meanwhile, industrialists on Friday met Hira Singh Gabria and also held a meeting at Vardhman Group to decide the further course to tell their side of the story. The latest campaign against the dyeing industry was triggered after news broke of fish dying at Harike due to polluted water and Ludhiana industry was held responsible for causing water pollution. It was then that the chief minister ordered PPCB to make a camp office at Ludhiana and check the black sheep in the city's industry. PPCB conducted checks at various units regularly over a fortnight and finally zeroed in on 26 units.
Ludhiana July 19:
In a reported bid to appease industrymen and his political allies, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal has deferred the campaign that he initiated against the "polluting" industry.
Badal, who had shifted the entire battery of Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to Ludhiana a few days ago to check the polluting dyeing units, has now asked the Punjab State Electricity Board not to take any action against the 26 polluting units pointed out by PPCB.
With this announcement, the city's industry has heaved a sigh of relief and PPCB, which had become a terror for the dyeing units, has lost teeth. All eyes are now on a meeting scheduled to be held on July 20 in which the opinion of a seven-member committee formed by the chief minister will be considered to decide upon further action plan to deal with the dyeing industry. Sources said the government is likely to give two months' time to the industry to set its house in order.
Spelling out the demands and grievances of the industry, Ashok Makkar, one of the leaders of dyeing industry association in the city, said, "The government must treat water in its own plants and charge the industrialists for the same. They should install sealed meters in our units and monitor those regularly." He also said the municipal corporation should provide the sewer line to the industry on Tajpur Road at the earliest.
Meanwhile, industrialists on Friday met Hira Singh Gabria and also held a meeting at Vardhman Group to decide the further course to tell their side of the story. The latest campaign against the dyeing industry was triggered after news broke of fish dying at Harike due to polluted water and Ludhiana industry was held responsible for causing water pollution. It was then that the chief minister ordered PPCB to make a camp office at Ludhiana and check the black sheep in the city's industry. PPCB conducted checks at various units regularly over a fortnight and finally zeroed in on 26 units.
