After Mattewara textile park, now Punjab villagers up in arms against cement plant project

Indian Express

4 days ago

'Punjab should promote tourism, non-polluting industry to preserve its air, water, and fertile land,' cried the villagers of Talwandi Aklia, who are up in arms against the proposal of setting up a cement plant in Mansa district.
The villagers have outrightly voted against the proposal at a public hearing committee meeting held on July 14 at Talwandi Aklia in which the representatives of the cement plant, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials, Mansa district administration officials, residents of nearly 20 villages of Mansa and members of the public action committee (PAC) from across the state had participated.
JSW Cement is to set up a high-capacity cement manufacturing unit with an estimated production capacity of six million tonnes per annum (MTPA) on 19 hectares of land covering Talwandi Aklia and neighbouring Karamgarh Autanwali villages. The company has already acquired around 67 acres of land. According to villagers, nearly 40 acres have been sold to the cement company by a US-based NRI who hasn't visited Punjab for years.
'A majority of the villagers voted against the proposal to set up this cement plant. Now let's see what happens next. We will stay alert, and if the project gets environmental clearance from the Punjab government despite our stiff resistance, we will start agitation against it. They can set up agro-based projects, cotton mills, etc. But why a cement plant?' asked Manpreet Singh Aklia, an activist of Talwandi Sabo Morcha set up to fight against the project. He is a farmer from Aklia village of Mansa.
According to sources, the cement company will be setting up two production units and an additional grinding unit.
The public hearing on the project's environmental impact was organised by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). It was attended by hundreds of local villagers, farmers, and activists under the banner of the newly formed 'Talwandi Morcha'.
'We fear for our future,' said Manpreet Singh, a farmer from Talwandi Aklia who participated in the hearing. 'Such large-scale red-category industries bring pollution and health hazards. Our fields, air, and water will all suffer,' he said.
Already there is one thermal power plant in Banawali village of Mansa located nearby and the villagers said they can't afford to have another polluting unit.
'Villagers raised alarm over the plant's categorisation as a 'red-category' industry — a classification reserved for industrial units that pose a significant risk of pollution. They argue that cement dust emissions and possible contamination of groundwater could jeopardise agriculture, the mainstay of the local economy,' said Jaskirat Singh, a member of PAC.
Local youth and women, too, have joined the campaign, holding awareness meetings and door-to-door campaigns to rally more villagers, said Kapil Arora, another PAC member.
Villagers feared that apart from air and water pollution, the unit will also damage the roads of villages after hundreds of cement-laden trucks and many trucks carrying fly ash from Banawali thermal power plant to be used as raw material in the cement factory will cross the roads quite often.
Representatives of JSW Cement and district officials tried to allay fears during the hearing, promising strict adherence to environmental norms and highlighting possible job opportunities for local people. However, villagers remain unconvinced, pointing to past examples where job promises were not kept.
The final nod for the plant will depend on environmental clearances at the national level under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006. Meanwhile, local resistance is likely to intensify in the coming weeks, with the Talwandi Morcha planning further meetings, legal consultations, and protests.
'The conflict underlines the delicate balance between industrial expansion and community rights in Punjab's agrarian belt, where farmers already face mounting challenges related to land use, groundwater depletion, and pollution,' said Jaskirat Singh.
The PAC had previously mobilised strong opposition to the Ruchira Paper Mill project near Chamkaur Sahib, with its public hearing held on April 30. During this hearing, residents from around 50 villages, backed by PAC activists, raised urgent concerns about the mill's proximity — just 10 metres —to Buddha Dariya and about 200 m from the Neelon Canal, both key water sources. Out of 873 attendees, 853 opposed the project, citing risk of severe water contamination in an ecologically vulnerable zone.
Similarly, in January–July 2022, PAC led a campaign against the proposed Mega Textile Park at Mattewara in Ludhiana voicing fears over threats to the Sutlej river ecosystem and local forests. That sustained activism led to the Punjab government cancelling the project in July 2022.