Aujla seeks NGT intervention to solve Tung Dhab Drain, garbage dump issues
Lok Sabha MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla has sought the intervention of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for streamlining the work to clean toxic waste from the Tung Dhab drain and shifting of the Bhagtanwala dump out of the city limits.
Giving more information, Aujla said he would himself be present in every hearing of the NGT and fight against the Punjab Government to ensure that the drain was cleaned and the garbage dump shifted outside the city.
Untreated industrial, hospital and domestic waste flows directly into the drain, which is adjacent to the Amritsar-Attari-Wagah National Highway (NH1), creating serious health and environment issues.
“The drain releases toxic gases. Residents of colonies on both sides of the drain have been suffering from respiratory problems. They are at risk of contracting cancer due to contamination of the ground water and air,” he said.
Aujla said he had requested the NGT to take immediate cognizance of the issues and initiate corrective action. “The drain should either be covered or its water should be drained through pipelines to prevent release of toxic gases,” he said. Besides, Aujla also drew the NGT’s attention towards the Bhagtanwala garbage dump.
Aujla said, “The municipal corporation (MC) has failed to manage the city’s waste leading to piling up of garbage at the Bhagtanwala site. This has resulted in an unprecedented rise in pollution levels in the city. The entire area within a 25-km radius of the dump has been affected.”
He further said, “There has been a significant increase in the number of residents suffering from cancers, respiratory diseases and other ailments associated with toxic emissions and groundwater pollution from the garbage dump.”
He said, “The pollution from the dump is causing significant damage to two most revered religious sites — the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Temple. The toxic air and dust are reportedly damaging the structures, including gold plates of the shrines.”
He urged the NGT to direct the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to shift the Bhagtanwala dump to a more suitable place outside the city limits.
