Buddha Dariya pollution: PAC files plea against PPCB & CETP directors in NGT
Ludhiana: The Public Action Committee (PAC) filed a contempt petition against the concerned PPCB officials and directors of the Bahadur Ke Road Common Effluent Treatment Plant for intentionally violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders on effluent discharge into Buddha Dariya.
The original petition was filed against three CETPs: Bahadur K Road, Tajpur Road, and Focal Point. However, PAC members have now filed a contempt petition against Bahadur Ke Road CETP members because it received a separate environment compensation in 2014, which mandated Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) — a condition it consistently failed to meet. All three CETPs were funded by central and state govts yet failed to honour mandatory conditions due to the active connivance of PPCB officials.
PAC members Jaskirat Singh and Kapil Arora shared that Ludhiana's dyeing industry clusters have been illegally discharging effluent into Buddha Dariya for decades. After sustained citizen efforts, three CETPs were constructed, but PPCB failed to place their Environmental Clearance (EC) documents in the public domain. It also allowed three unauthorized outlets to discharge into the waterbody. Even after CPCB directions, PPCB gave undue time for clusters to appeal closure orders instead of enforcing environmental compliance.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya
IC Markets
Mendaftar
Undo
The PAC filed three separate cases against each CETP, following which NGT directed PPCB to act strictly in line with EC conditions. They also pointed out that the state govt has repeatedly changed its lawyers before the Tribunal to stall proceedings and protect violators.
PAC members Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Preet Dhanoa said that despite the NGT's clear orders in November 2024, the PPCB and state govt misread the directions and permitted continued effluent discharge into Buddha Dariya.
This amounts to contempt of court and reflects how public health has been sidelined in favour of polluters.
Dr Amandeep Singh Bains and Gurpreet Singh said that the NGT reiterated that EC conditions are binding and ruled that no coercive action would be taken against the CETP only if it fully complied with environmental norms. It further clarified that violating the zero discharge condition amounts to non-compliance with the law.
They shared that despite these clear directions, PPCB officials continued to allow the illegal discharge of toxic waste into Buddha Dariya. They alleged that even after giving official undertakings, the state govt has not submitted a compliance report to the NGT, while pollution continues unchecked under official protection. The members claimed that it is on these grounds that they filed this contempt petition under the NGT Act, which allows for up to ₹10 crore in fines or three years' imprisonment, or both.
PAC called on the Chief Minister of Punjab to break official silence, stop shielding violators, and take meaningful action to restore public faith in governance and environmental justice.
However, when contacted, the PPCB Chief Engineer RK Ratra said, "The matter is pending in the tribunal, so it is difficult to comment on the same, and moreover, I am unaware of any such contempt petition. I can only comment after verifying things."
April 2024 - NGT took suo moto notice of media reports about Buddha Dariya pollution and failure of samples collected from the drain.
August 2024 - A team from the Central Pollution Control Board conducted an inspection, and as per the environment clearance granted to the CETPs, the treated water shall not be discharged into Buddha Nullah, so it ordered PPCB to take appropriate action.
September 2024 - PPCB issued orders to CETPs to close their outlets, but when they did not follow the directions, PPCB also filed three criminal cases against directors of three CETPs at a local court.
November 2024 - NGT issued orders to CETPs to comply with EC conditions.
December 2024 - Kale Pani Morcha activists staged a massive protest at Ferozepur Road.
December 2024 - NGT clarified its own orders that it is not a blanket stay and compliance with EC is a must. After that, multiple orders were issued, but no action was taken by the govt or CETPs; therefore, now contempt is filed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
PC, JDF, PDF band together, say will strive for change in Kashmir
In an interesting political development in Kashmir, a new political amalgam — People's Alliance for Change (PAC) —which aims to provide an alternative against the 'elite political ruling minority' while also fighting for the restoration of Article 370 and statehood, was announced on Monday. JKPC chief Sajad Lone along with PDF president Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, Jamaat-e-Islami-backed JDF's chief Shamim Ahmad Thokar during a press conference in Srinagar on Monday. (PTI) The alliance was announced by People's Conference(PC) led by Sajad Lone, Jamaat-e-Islami affiliated Justice and Development Front (JDF), which fought recent assembly elections, and People's Democratic Front (PDF) led by Hakeem Yaseen. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Sajad Lone said that the decision to form the alliance came after months of consultations. 'The alliance is a platform which will work for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This platform is the one in which everybody has suffered - pain and sorrow. We have not inflicted pain. And this platform will bring change in the barren political landscape,' he said. He said that they are providing people an alternative against those who inflicted the pain here. 'The people suffered in these 30 years, went to jails, many are in graveyards while many suffered interrogations. While the other group who are at the forefront in inflicting these sufferings. And it is also a fact that by and large only these people have been our rulers here,' he said. 'PAC is an alliance of those who have suffered. How would Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah know what is victimhood? They only know how to inflict oppression. This is a people's alliance for change. It is not a third front and everyone can join us,' Lone said. In the recent elections, all the three parties were not able to score anything major except a single seat of Handwara in north Kashmir which was won by Sajad Lone. However, together there are chances of it becoming a formidable group which can be problematic for the traditional parties in the political arithmetic of Kashmir. PC won the Sajad Lone's Handwara seat in 2024 assembly elections while also lost four seats by narrow margins in north Kashmir. Lone has been previously a separatist leader who joined mainstream politics when he fought parliamentary elections in 2009. Justice and Development Front (JDF) was launched by Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) affiliated candidates early this year after the central government imposed a five-year ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami, Jammu and Kashmir, in 2019, citing the outfit's alleged ties with militant groups. Last year, some 10 such candidates participated in the elections as Independents, including the prominent Sayyar Ahmad Reshi and Talat Majid in south Kashmir with no success on any seat, though Reshi managed to gather a formidable vote percentage in south Kashmir. People's Democratic Front (PDF) led by Hakeem Yaseen has a good following in Khansahib area of central Kashmir, though he lost the elections in 2024 after being its MLA for three consecutive terms. JDF president Shamim Ahmad Thokar said that they formed the alliance knowing well that individually they won't be able to bring any change. 'We understood that we can't do much individually. If we want to do something for our people and bring change then we would have to move ahead together. Ideological differences apart, we need a joint platform for working ahead,' he said. He said that Sajad Lone and them had a historical connection. 'Sajad sb's father and our elder leaders held mutual interests. And now we want to work together,' he said. Thokar said that the alternative will attempt for stability in this region which has been 'elusive for the past few decades'. 'Now youth are not comfortable with double speak of leaders. Now the talk in Srinagar and in Delhi will be the same. Only that government will move ahead which indulges in one talk- both in Srinagar and Delhi. We endeavour for political stability and we will strive for that,' he said. In a joint statement, the alliance said that it believes in the 'Restoration of Article 370, Article 35 A and statehood'. 'The alliance will strive and exhaust all political means in pursuit of these objectives,' the PAC said. The amalgam was also aghast over new reservation rules in J&K. 'We believe that one of the biggest tools of disempowerment of the Kashmiris that has emerged, is the system of reservations in J&K. The present system of reservations is a regional issue and systematically discriminates against the people of Kashmir,' it said. 'Upto 90% of jobs go to the Jammu region. Till now the only party to call it a regional issue has been the JKPC. The JDF joins JKPC in calling it a regional issue. This is a wake-up call for the people,' it said.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
CEC allays oppn fears of Bihar 'disenfranchisement'
NEW DELHI: Chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday stepped forward to allay the opposition's fears regarding "disenfranchisement" on account of the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the Bihar electoral roll, saying the objective of the exercise is to simply ensure that no eligible voter is left out, while also keeping the roll free of any ineligible voter. This is in line with the duty cast upon the Election Commission by Article 326 of the Constitution, which requires only an Indian citizen above 18 years of age and ordinary resident in that constituency, unless disqualified, to be enrolled. Kumar told TOI EC is deploying over 1 lakh volunteers to assist the elderly, sick, persons with disabilities (PwDs) and other marginalised groups in filling up their enumeration forms. In a statement on Monday, EC reiterated that over 4.9 crore electors included in Bihar's electoral roll from 2003 - when the last such intensive revision was conducted - need not submit any document other than their filled-up enumeration form. The 2003 roll will be treated as probative evidence of eligibility, including presumption of Indian citizenship unless any input is received otherwise. They only need to verify details from the 2003 roll - now uploaded on the EC website and hard copies of which are being provided to booth level officers (BLOs) - and return the filled-up enumeration form to the BLO. Even children of these 4.9 crore electors will only have to submit their own citizenship proof from a list of 11 specified documents, and not any documents related to the birth of their parents. "This is because any children born to parents included as electors in the 2003 Bihar roll are Indian citizens by birth," said an EC official. "Thus, nearly 60% of Bihar's (current) 7.9 crore electorate, would not have to submit any documents. " Stating that revision of electoral roll is mandatory prior to parliamentary/assembly election or bypoll, EC said it has been conducting annual summary revisions for 75 years. Nine intensive revisions were undertaken between 1952 and 2004, involving an average six-year gap, but the latest was pending for 22 years. "SIR is required as the electoral roll is dynamic and changes due to deaths, shifting of people due to reasons such as migration due to occupation/ education/ marriage, and addition of new voters who have turned 18 years old," said the officer. As per Census 2011, there were 454 million migrants in India, up from 315 million in 2001. Even as per the Migration in India Report, 2021, the percentage of migrants in the population was estimated at around 29%, which is more than the winning margin in many of the constituencies. "SIR will introduce complete transparency in the additions/deletions in the electoral rolls through active participation of booth level agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties," the officer said, and added that around 1.5 lakh BLAs, including over 47,000 deployed by RJD alone, will monitor each stage of SIR. Interestingly, even as RJD is opposing SIR, its MLA from Hathua Rajesh Kushwaha has released posters educating electors on how to ensure they are enrolled.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Aim to ensure no eligible voter left out, no ineligible voter in list: CEC amid Opp heat
With the Opposition raising concerns over the ongoing special intensive revision of Bihar's electoral rolls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday that the objective was to 'ensure that no eligible voter is left out' and 'no ineligible voter is included'. The Election Commission (EC) said the revision was required as the 'electoral roll is always a dynamic list which keeps changing', and the Constitution mandates that only 'Indian citizens are eligible to be registered as electors'. The EC also underlined that as per its instructions issued on June 24, any person whose name was not in the 2003 electoral roll could still submit an extract of that electoral roll as proof for their mother or father, instead of submitting any other document. According to the EC's order, those who were not on the rolls in 2003 — the last time that an intensive revision was done in Bihar — would have to submit proof of date and/ or place of birth of themselves if born before July 1, 1987; proof of date and/ or place of birth of themselves and one parent if born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004; proof of date and/ or place of birth of themselves and both parents if born after December 2, 2004. These categories are as per the citizenship requirements in the Citizenship Act, 1955, EC sources had said. 'Further, as per instructions, anyone whose name is not in the 2003 Bihar electoral roll can still use the extract of 2003 electoral roll rather than providing any other documents for his/ her mother or father. In such cases, no other document would be required for his/ her mother or father. Only the relevant extract/ details of the 2003 electoral roll would be sufficient. Such electors would have to submit the documents only for themselves, along with the filled-up enumeration form,' the EC reiterated Monday. On Saturday, the EC had said that of the total 7.89 crore electors, 4.96 crore who were on the rolls as on January 1, 2003 would only have to submit the new enumeration form. This means that the remaining 2.93 crore, or about 37% of the electors, would have to submit documents establishing citizenship in addition to the form. 'The objective of the special intensive revision is to ensure that no eligible voter is left out, and, at the same time, no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolIs. More than 1 lakh volunteers have also been deployed to assist the elderly, sick, persons with disabilities (PwD) and marginalised groups in filling up their enumeration forms,' CEC Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday. 'The Election Commission of India has uploaded the 2003 electoral roll of Bihar, comprising details of 4.96 crore electors, on the ECI website… The ease of availability of 2003 electoral rolls of Bihar, would hugely facilitate the ongoing special intensive revision in Bihar as now nearly 60 per cent of the total electorate, would not have to submit any documents. They have to just verify their details from the 2003 electoral rolls… and submit the filled-up enumeration form. Both the electors as well the BLOs (booth level officers) would be able to readily access these details,' the EC said in a statement. The EC said the revision of the electoral rolls was mandatory before every election, as per Section 21(2)(a) of the Representation of People Act 1950, and Rule 25 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. 'ECI has been conducting annual revisions, intensive as well as summary, for 75 years by now. This exercise is required as the electoral roll is always a dynamic list which keeps changing due to deaths, shifting of people due to various reasons such as migration due to occupation/ education/ marriage, addition of new voters who have turned 18 etc. Further, Article 326 of the Constitution specifies the eligibility to become an elector. Only Indian citizens, above 18 years and ordinary residents in that constituency, are eligible to be registered as an elector,' the EC said. While the EC has started the process of revising the electoral rolls in Bihar, where elections are due in November, the exercise will be expanded to other states too.
