Fixing a month’s deadline, the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) monitoring committee on Wednesday directed the Punjab Government to effectively check the menace of river pollution in a time-bound manner.
The Committee, headed by Justice (retired) Pritam Pal, pointed out that it would undertake on-the-spot inspection at vulnerable points to evaluate the progress in this regard after one month.
Besides, the Committee specifically directed the officers of nodal departments to ensure timely implementation of the action plan, while categorically making it clear that no laxity would be tolerated at any cost.
Justice Pal emphasised that there would be ‘zero tolerance’ against pollution and polluters and the officers concerned must keep a close vigil at each and every ‘entry and exit’ point from where the untreated effluent was being flown into main rivers.
He clearly stated that strict action would be initiated against the violators as per the provisions of water and air pollution acts as a deterrent for others. The Committee also appealed the people to extend fulsome support and cooperation to the Punjab Government to stamp out pollution from the state.
Likewise, the Committee also solicited assistance and participation of various social, religious, voluntary and non-governmental organizations for this noble cause.
Justice Pal, presiding over first meeting of the committee organised by Punjab Directorate of Environment and Climate Change to review the progress of implementation of action plans for river Beas and Sutlej, underscored the need to launch coordinated and concerted efforts against water pollution especially in the catchment areas of these rivers in the state.
The Committee, along with the officers of Local Government, Environment and Pollution Control Board, would visit all the spots affected by pollution from ‘origin to tails’ after one month to inspect the progress in this regard.
Stressing the need to keep 24X7 surveillance over the pollution scenario in river Beas, Sutlej especially in the catchment areas of Budda Nullah in Ludhiana and Kali Bein in Jalandhar, due to unchecked flow of untreated effluents in terms of industrial and chemical waste, he said that this had resulted in alarming situation turning into health and environment hazardous especially in Malwa belt of the state.
On the issue of operation and maintenance of STPs and CETPs, the Committee observed that there should be dedicated funds in the urban local bodies for such works, so that the mechanism of treating water could not be affected.
The state Environment and Climate Change (Principal Secretary) Rakesh Verma informed that the Department had chalked out a comprehensive plan for rivers namely Beas, Sutlej and Ghaggar besides plan for clean air.
