Team to visit Budha Nullah today

Ludhiana, Punjab: The cleaning of Budha Nullah has always been a matter of concern for the state government and the Centre and they have made efforts to get it cleaned. To get the feedback, what exactly has been done on the ground and what needs to be done to improve its condition, a team of officials, led by the Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, will visit the city tomorrow.

The team includes Gurkirat Singh, Special Principal Secretary to the CM, DK Tiwari, Special Secretary, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, new MC Commissioner Pradeep Aggarwal and officials from the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA). Besides, higher officials from the MC will be accompanying the team, which will visit all sewerage treatment plants at Jamalpur, Bhattiyan, Balloke, Transport Nagar and on Tibba Road.

Dr Sumit Jarangal, Additional Commissioner, MC, said meetings were held in Chandigarh in connection with the cleaning of Buda Nullah in the last few days.

Funds worth crores have been spent on the cleaning of the nullah by both the state and central governments, but there is no perceptible improvement.

In April 2011, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh inaugurated a project to clean the nullah with bioremedial process and Rs 16 crore was sanctioned by the Centre. Not much came out of it as the original 16 km stretch to be cleaned under the project was narrowed down to just 6 km. These 6 km were towards the end of the nullah where it merges into the Sutlej.

The International Human Rights Organisation expressed great concern over the lackadaisical approach of the administration towards the cleaning of the nullah.

Toxic effluents are being discharged into the nullah both by residents and industrialists.

Source: The Tribune