Rinku calls on MP Seechewal, gets letter of green demands

Jalandhar, April 16

AAP candidate Sushil Rinku, who is contesting the byelection from the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency, paid obeisance at Nirmal Kuteya today. He called on environmentalist and Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, here today, a day before he is due to file nomination papers from Jalandhar.

On the occasion, Seechewal handed over a memorandum about the demands of the area and said he should make the environment the main issue during his election campaign “because people’s lives are in danger due to environmental pollution”.

Seechewal placed seven major demands before Rinku. He said the demand letter would be sent to all candidates contesting the byelection from the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency. Among these demands, the most important demand is about stopping the toxic water flow into the Kala Sanghian Drain, Jamsher Drain, Chitti Bein and the Sutlej.

AAP candidate Rinku promised the MP that the demand letter given to him by Seechewal would be taken up on priority and he would give priority to serious issues like environment. Seechewal has previously also been handing over environmental agenda to candidates contesting in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Seechewal said he would keep vigil on the issue of environment and would also continue to mobilise people about it. Referring to the demand letter given to Rinku, Seechewal said people of Malwa and Rajasthan were suffering from cancer and other terrible diseases due to the discharge of dirty and poisonous water in the Sutlej. They demanded that 1465 cusecs of water from the Doab section should be released through Bist Doab and an underground pipeline be installed to reach the fields.

Sant Seechewal said that he had visited the treatment plants of the entire Punjab as a member of the monitoring committee formed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board and the NGT. Most of which were not running. Similarly, the 50 MLD plant in Jalandhar’s Basti Pirdad is also not operated 24 hours with its full capacity. He appealed to build a solid road on Dhusi Dam from Giddarpindi to Phillaur so that floods can be avoided. Apart from these, he said issues related to health and education along with environment should be made the main issues during the election campaign and after victory these issues should also be raised in the Lok Sabha.

Make environment campaign issue

• MP and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal told the AAP MP candidate to make the environment the main issue during his campaign “because people’s lives are in danger due to environmental pollution”
• Rinku promised the MP that the demand letter given to him would be taken up on priority and he would seriously pursue serious issues like environment