Ludhiana: Protesting villagers slam brakes on move to re-open carcass plant
Ravneet Bittu had put a lock on the carcass plant in Noorpur Bet area in Ludhiana following protests by locals
Officials of the municipal corporation and district administration on Wednesday tried to open the carcass plant, only to be stopped by a group of villagers who had gathered there in protest.
Minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu had put a lock on the plant in January, when he was the Congress MP representing the Ludhiana constituency.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM West) and MC additional commissioner, along with police, reached the carcass plant to re-open the plant, but found that villagers had already gathered outside the facility in the Noorpur Bet area.
In the last hearing of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on April 5, the tribunal had given two months for the plant to be opened. The next hearing is scheduled for August 20.
Deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said, “We are in the process of resolving the issue.”
Recently, a Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) executive engineer submitted a detailed report to the DC. The report, based on a visit to a carcass plant in New Delhi, included observations and photographs outlining all relevant factors and issues.
In January this year, the MC had opened the carcass plant in its fourth attempt. The move came amid vehement protests by residents from multiple villages, expressing concern over the potential adverse effects of the plant on their health and environment. The residents called off the demonstration after getting assurances from authorities that the plant would remain operational till January 22.
Afterward, residents staged a protest and Bittu locked the
plant’s gates. It has remained closed since.
Rasulpur sarpanch Balbir Singh said, “We have told the officials that the carcass plant cannot open at this place. We have staged protests every time the officials have come here with police. Today, we started a protest at 11. Some of the villagers recently visited a similar plant in Jodhpur. They recorded videos of the locals, who claimed that the foul smell from the carcass plant spread up to 6 km. It poses serious health risks to people living in close proximity of the plant.”
