Centre to review Rs 840-crore Buddha Nullah rejuvenation project amid pollution concerns

The Union Government will review the Rs 840-crore Buddha Nullah rejuvenation project here on Monday. The meeting will be chaired by Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Debashree Mukherjee, in New Delhi.

The Centre has summoned state and local officers involved in the project to discuss issues and progress. A notice, issued by the ministry’s Under Secretary Yogesh Kumar, requests 9 officers from state government and central agencies to attend.

Those who have been called for the meeting include Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Tejveer Singh, Principal Secretary Water Resources Krishan Kumat, Union Ministry’s Joint Secretary and Managing Director Swachh Bharat Mission Jitendra Srivastava, Secretary Science and Technology Priyank Bharti, PEDA Chief Executive Officer Sandeep Hans, PMIDC CEO Deepti Uppal, Ludhiana MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal, CPCB Member Secretary Bharat Sharma, and PPCB Member Secretary GS Majithia.

The meeting follows concerns over widespread pollution in the Sutlej tributary. A recent survey by the Drainage Department identified 127 pollution points upstream and downstream. Last month, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) ordered three common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) to stop discharging treated effluents into Buddha Nullah. PPCB took action after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued directions, imposing a hefty fine of Rs 2.77 crore on three CETPs operated by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) for significant violations.

Environmentalists urge swift action to block pollution points. Col Jasjit Gill (retd), leading the campaign to clean Buddha Nullah, emphasises the need for strict measures.