Mansa Villagers Vote Against Cement Plant; Museum & Fort in Peril

Hundreds of residents of Talwandi Aklia and Karamgarh Autanwali in district Mansa opposed the setting up of a cement plant during a public hearing by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on 14 Jul. Members of the Public Action Committee (PAC) mobilised people to participate in the public hearing and oppose the setting up of the red category industry. The representatives of the PPCB, Mansa district administration, and the cement factory owners Jindal South West (JSW) participated in the public hearing. As per the notification, JSW Cement Limited had proposed to set up a 6 million tonne per annum (MTPA) plant with two units of 3 MTPA each, and a standalone grinding unit in 48 acres of land. As per the Environment Impact Assessment Notification of 2006, the project proponent needed to obtain environmental clearance from the Indian Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The hearing was part of that process. With this rejection by villagers, like with the proposed paper mill near Chamkaur Sahib on 30 Apr, industry would find it very difficult to set up the plants. Meanwhile, Chandigarh’s Horticulture Museum in Sector 16 Rose Garden, has remained shut for more than a decade. Inaugurated in 1973, the museum was designed as a unique space dedicated to horticultural education. The museum's caretaker Baldev (no other name) said, 'I have been working here for the past 10 to 12 years, and the museum was already closed when I joined. Now, it is only used to keep Rose Festival materials.' Similarly, the Mughal-era Bajwara Fort in Hoshiarpur district now lies in ruins. Believed to have been established in the late 15th century by Pashtun settlers from the Suleiman Mountains, during the Lodi era, Bajwara served as a strategic outpost to monitor the Hindu Hill Rulers. The fort finds mention in the Ain-i-Akbari as one of Hoshiarpur’s 36 palaces and was part of the Sikh Empire when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured it in 1825. It was later used as a military prison under British rule before being dismantled and left to decay (earlier coverage).