25-05-2025
At public hearing, residents of 50 Punjab villages oppose paper mill at eco-sensitive zone
Bathinda: A public hearing at Chamkaur Sahib on April 30, 2025, regarding the establishment of a paper mill on 200 acres turned out to be historic, as residents of the area crossed the first hurdle in stopping the establishment of the industry in an ecologically and water-sensitive area, as indicated by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report sent by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to the Union environment, forest, and climate change ministry.
PPCB had sent the proceedings of the public hearing to the central ministry on May 22. Earlier, the paper mill had filed an application for obtaining environmental clearance for the production of 1.65 lakh TPA writing and printing paper, along with 1.26 TPA wood pulp, on May 22.
The environmentalists and residents of the area, comprising nearly 50 villages, claim they do not want a polluting industry to come up in the area, which is rich in heritage and ecologically sensitive.
PPCB has duly mentioned the views expressed by most of those present at the public hearing. The report has been made public.
Environmentalists claim that some similar public hearings have been organised in Punjab in recent years for setting up such industries, but this hearing turned out to be historic as the residents from various villages en masse opposed the establishment of the industry. Many questions were asked, which became increasingly difficult for the PPCB and the industry to answer during the hearing, which lasted for about four hours.
During the voting, most of the hands were against the establishment of the industry, said members of the pro-environment organisation Public Action Committee (PAC).
PAC members stated that the proceedings, as reported, do not support the establishment of the industry. According to the report, out of a total of 873 citizens present, only 20 or so voted in favour, and the rest were against it. Another legal hurdle that has beset the industry was a notification produced by the activists under the Environment Act, which states that no red-category industry will be set up within 500 metres of a water source.
"The land purchased for this mill has the Buddha Dariya flowing only 10 metres on one side and the Neelon Canal flowing 200 metres on the other. If such a red-category mill is set up, the risk of pollution to the surrounding water sources increases significantly. The Neelon Canal is used to supply drinking water to Ludhiana city in the summer, and the Buddha Dariya has already earned a reputation for spreading cancer to South Punjab and Rajasthan," said a source.
Jaskirat Singh of PAC said that the history created by the team of Chamkaur Sahib Morcha has saved the future of Punjab's drinking water from a very big threat to some extent. However, now this battle has reached the Union environment ministry, and it is very important for the people of Punjab to send their views at that level so that the industry does not get the environmental clearance.
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