Protest March Against Pollution Board’s Non-Compliance with NGT’s Orders

The Kale Pani Da Morcha (Black Waters Front, KPDM) has announced a protest march from Gurdwara Dukhnivaran Sahib to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) head office, Patiala on 3 Dec. This is to mark one year of the PPCB not complying with the National Green Tribunal’s orders to close the three major Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) of dyeing units which have been releasing waste water into the Buddha Nullah, Ludhiana. In December 2024, the NGT had clarified its earlier August 2024 orders that PPCB must close the CETPs. On 3 Dec 2024—when KPDM and 23 organizations had gathered in Ludhiana to stop the discharge of waste water into the Buddha Nullah—the Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal had promised to implement the orders within a week but PPCM has still not complied. Meanwhile, more than 120 dairy owners at the Tajpur Road dairy complex, Ludhiana are facing severe inconvenience as the lanes of Blocks B and C have been completely flooded for several days. The flooding has been caused by a choked Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), which has not been functioning properly since 20 Nov. According to dairy owners, the wastewater that should be diverted to the biogas plant is instead flowing directly into the ETP plant because the biogas unit has not been set up. With no system in place to manage the load, the wastewater has overflowed into streets, leaving the entire area waterlogged. Without the biogas plant—which should have filtered the slurry before it reached the ETP, the entire load is falling on the treatment unit. Satwinder Singh, president of the Tajpur Road Dairy Association, said the issue has been repeatedly raised with municipal corporation and sewerage department officials but no long-term solution has been provided. Ludhiana is also facing a challenge in public transport. Of the 120 buses procured under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, only 15 are running on two routes. The rest have either been declared scrap, reclaimed but unused or stuck in legal disputes. Repeated attempts to auction defunct buses have failed while reclaimed vehicles are deteriorating in open yards (earlier coverage).