Against pollution in Buddha Nullah, not migrants: Activists

As the dyeing industry had engaged thousands of migrant labourers to reach near the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) to guard these, activists of the ‘Kale Pani Da Morcha’ campaign clarified that they were against contamination of the Buddha Nullah and not migrants.

The activists said an impression being created that Punjabis were against migrant workers was totally wrong and it was done to divert attention from the real issue.

A farmer, Sucha Singh, said activists were attached with the campaign as the industry was polluting the nullah by discharging effluents into it. “Now, the migrants were made scapegoat by industry. We came to know that many of the migrant workers were called from other districts. We are fighting for a cause as the contaminated water of the nullah was playing havoc with the lives of lakhs of people by spreading deadly diseases among them. We are against pollution, not migrants,” he said.

In August too, the activists in a large number gathered in Ludhiana for the cause under the same campaign and that time, they had given time to the government to come up with a solution to save lives from the pollution in the nullah but since nothing could be done and the problem still persisted, the activists gathered on Tuesday to stop discharge of effluents into the nullah.

“The authorities are sleeping and we want them to wake up from their deep slumber as it’s already late, said Kuldeep Singh Khaira, an activist.

At the same time, today’s development on the issue was discussed on various social media platforms. Pritpal Singh Baliawal, spokesperson for the state BJP, on his twitter account, has asked Balbir Singh Seechewal where was he today when the people were fighting against pollution in the Buddha Nullah.

He wrote: “Dear Eco Baba, as an MP, environmentalist, your silence is deafening. Do we need to remind you that you are reprresentative of AAP, Punjab, under Bhagwant Mann, Aman Arora and Arvind Kejriwal?”

Taking dig at MP Raja Warring from the Congress, he wrote: “Where are you? Being MP from Ludhiana this is also your duty, do we need to remind you?”