In a scathing indictment of civic authorities, Rajya Sabha member and renowned environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal has launched a fierce criticism against officials for their negligent role in preventing polluted water from entering the Buddha Dariya in Ludhiana.
Surprise Inspection Reveals Shocking Negligence
The criticism followed Seechewal's surprise visit to the Jamalpur drain on Saturday, where he discovered the pumping station was not fully functional. Only one out of three motors was operating, while the remaining two were completely non-functional. This marked the second time the MP has directly targeted district administration, particularly officials from the sewerage board and municipal corporation, for their failure to maintain basic infrastructure.
This isn't the first instance of such negligence coming to light. On November 7, immediately after a review meeting on cleaning the Buddha Dariya, Seechewal had found all motors at the Jamalpur pumping station switched off. This was despite officials from the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board and related agencies claiming during the meeting that all motors were operational, effectively misleading the participants.
Massive Public Funds, Zero Results
Expressing his frustration, Seechewal spoke directly to Sewerage Board Chairman Sunny Ahluwalia, alleging that board officials were deliberately bringing disrepute to the Punjab government. He raised a critical question: How could untreated sewage still be released directly into the river despite the government spending Rs 650 crore to establish treatment plants?
The environmentalist didn't mince words when describing district officials, calling them "utterly shameless" and accusing them of having no empathy or concern for people forced to consume contaminated water. He emphasized the far-reaching consequences of this pollution, noting that water from the Sutlej flows through canals into the Malwa region and Rajasthan, where people depend on it for drinking.
Multiple Systems Failing Simultaneously
The negligence extends beyond the Jamalpur pumping station. Even temporary arrangements created to treat slurry and waste from dairies in Tajpur have fallen victim to municipal corporation's inaction. At Dharamkanda, the temporary Seechewal model system designed to treat urine-rich waste from dairies using traditional methods has been compromised.
Two mud-built walls collapsed due to large quantities of slurry entering the three pits, resulting in untreated dairy waste flowing directly into the water body. Despite instructions to MC workers to replace these temporary mud walls with sandbags, no action was taken.
Seechewal made it clear that no official responsible for polluting the Buddha Dariya would be spared. His strong stance highlights the ongoing battle against administrative apathy that continues to endanger public health and environmental safety in Punjab.
