‘Violating’ Water Act: Activists file police complaint against PPCB officials
The complaint was filed against by the members against member secretary (PPCB), chief engineer Ludhiana (PPCB) and officials of the SPVs of the dyeing industry for violating Water Act 1974
Members of the ‘Kale Pani Da Morcha’ filed a police complaint against officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the special purpose vehicles (SPVs) of the dyeing industry at Tibba Road police station here today and demanded registration of an FIR and criminal prosecution proceedings against them.
The complaint was filed against by the members against member secretary (PPCB), chief engineer Ludhiana (PPCB) and officials of the SPVs of the dyeing industry for violating Water Act 1974, terms of the Environment Impact Assessment of their common effluent treatment plants (CETPs), terms of their own agreements and also for defying the orders of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Giving details about the matter, Jaskirat Singh of Naroa Punjab Manch said, “There are grave violations by the officials of the PPCB and SPVs of the dyeing industry running the three CETPs. They were not allowed to throw even the treated water in the Buddha Dariya as per their own agreements and as per the terms of environment impact assessment (EIA) issued more than a decade ago. Now even CPCB has ordered them to follow their own agreements and stop throwing it in Buddha Dariya but they continue to violate the law with impunity.”
Film director Amitoj Mann who was part of the delegation said, “This is an extremely serious crime against humanity and shockingly the officials whose job is to prevent such crimes are hand in glove with the perpetrators. This is a huge breach of trust of the citizens in the government and its institutions and we will not remain mute spectators for such violations that lead to death and devastation of millions for the profits of a few.”
Kapil Dev of the PAC Mattewara said, “The CPCB has given clear directions u/s 18(1)(b) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and directions under this section are binding the state pollution control boards. Despite that, the PPCB has defied the directions of CPCB given on August 12, 2024, to the member secretary PPCB via a written communication. The direction was to stop the flow of even the treated water of dyeing CETPs into the Buddha Dariya within 15 days. As the time limit got over on August 26, 2024, the PPCB is in clear defiance and violation of the binding statutory directions of the CPCB. We believe that this is a clear case of connivance of PPCB with the dyeing industry for illegal profits and therefore a criminal investigation is urgently needed.”
Kuldip Singh Khaira of PAC expressed hope that police will understand the gravity of the matter and take it with the seriousness and urgency that it deserves and take appropriate action on the violators of the law.
Pardeep Gupta, chief engineer, PPCB, said, “We are already working on this matter and soon we are going to take action as CETP’s are not meeting the standards due to which the treated water is not fit to throw into the Buddha Nullah “.
