Action against industries polluting Buddha Nullah imminent: MC chief

The municipal corporation is planning to take stringent action against business houses found guilty of polluting the Buddha Nullah following a list of 33 such industries submitted by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to the civic body.

PPCB officials revealed that they had forwarded a list of non-compliant industries to the MC approximately four months ago.

“In line with the state government’s policy, the MC has been directed to cut sewer connections of the 33 industries violating norms and polluting the Buddha Nullah,” PPCB chief Pardeep Gupta said.

The MC officials said they are planning to conduct a thorough survey in the Tajpur Road and Jamalpur areas. The focus will be on assessing the accumulation of sewage water in vacant plots, a problem that has been causing distress among local residents.

“Notices have already been dispatched to the non-compliant industries, and stringent actions against the violators listed by the PPCB are imminent,” MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi said.

On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha member and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal instructed PPCB officials to crack down on dyeing industries that are discharging untreated waste into the MC sewer lines. Remedial actions such as severing sewer or power connections, imposing environment compensation fines, and conducting waste sampling from vacant plots were mandated for the violators.

Seechewal, along with other officials, conducted an inspection in the Jaiswal Complex and nearby areas along Tajpur Road. Discussions during the meeting revolved around various issues affecting the water body, including untreated waste disposal, solid waste management, and the operation of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and common effluent treatment plants (CETPs).