Residents want solution to pollution in Tung Dhab drain
Tung Dhab drain, one of the major issues in Lok Sabha elections is now on back seat. The residents, fighting for cause hopeless from local leadership. There are scores of localities, spanning from Ranjit Avenue to Batala Road, Fatehgarh Churian Road, around this drain where around 20,000 residents suffer with toxic fumes and pollution of Tung Dhab.
On May 14, before Lok Sabha elections, the residents, NGOs and associations of various colonies along Tung Dhab drain held a demonstration at a bridge on Airport Road by forming a human-chain. They protested against the government and the administration for failing to find solution to life-threatening effects of pollution in the drain. The aim of the protest was to press the candidates and political parties concerned to take urgent action to address the dire situation. All the candidates including Congress’s Gurjeet Singh Aujla, BJP’s Taranjit Singh Sandhu, AAP’s Kuldeep Dhaliwal and SAD’s Anil Joshi promised to address the issue. However, after Lok Sabha elections, no one turn up to the Tung Dhab drian.
Last week Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla raised the issue of water pollution in Tung Dhab drain in ongoing Lok Sabha session. He demanded that the government form a committee to take stock of the situation through visits of the elected representatives who are members of this panel. He also emphasised that due to toxicity in these water channels, lakhs of people are suffering.
Yogesh Kamra one of the leading activist fighting for the cause said, “We recently held a meeting and asked the public to raise the civic issues in front of candidates, contesting the elections. We have highlighted that a special and effective arrangements be made to make Toxic Tung Dhab drain completely pollution-free”.