Market along Sidhwan Canal on South City road under NGT lens

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 11

The market along the Sidhwan Canal on South City Road has come under scanner of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Many structures have come up alongside the canal in the past and no authority checked the constructions, as a result, commercial activities have flourished here, giving a difficult time to residents staying in nearby colonies. Increase in commercial activities had also led to nuisance, water and noise pollution.

PPCB told to act within 3 months

A petition has been filed by the public action committee in this regard and the National Green Tribunal has now asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board to inquire into the matter and take action within three months.

A petition has been filed by the public action committee (PAC) in this regard and the NGT has now asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to inquire into the matter and take action within three months.

In the petition filed by members of the PAC against ‘polluting wine shop-cum-tavern, restaurants and restaurant-cum-banquet halls alleged that these have been constructed in active connivance with the Irrigation Department, NHAI and GLADA outside the MC limits on South City Sidhwan Canal Road (National Highway, also known as Ladhowal Bypass) in violation of the orders of the NGT, Green Highways Policy of 2015 issued by MORTH for the NHAI, Master Plan of Ludhiana, situated from Ayali Chowk Bridge to Sua Road.

Jaskirat Singh and Kuldeep Singh Khaira from the PAC said there was one distributary/Sua situated towards the rear side and many such eateries were dumping their effluents into the distributary illegally. Further, since there was a sewerage system laid along the eateries, they had installed a septic tank over land of the Irrigation Department and dumping their waste into it without treating the same.

“After a survey, we found that many restaurants-cum-banquet halls have encroached upon land of the Irrigation Department by constructing party halls, installing generator sets and submersible pumps and the department has failed to act on pollution as well as encroachments done by such establishments. Further, many such banquet halls have installed DJ system on open terrace by going against the environment norms,” said Jaskirat Singh.

Er Kapil Arora and Dr Amandeep Singh Bains said the NGT in one of the petitions had issued directions to pollution control boards of all states to ensure compliance of the environment norms as well as reuse of wastewater in green areas of restaurants after proper treatment by restaurants and banquets but no such treatment plants have been installed by these eateries and they were illegally dumping the waste into the drain as well as septic tanks without treatment.

Further, almost 1,200 well-grown trees were axed by the Forest Department for the development of the national highway but no land along the highway was acquired by the NHAI for plantation, which was mandatory to be acquired as per the Indian Road Congress Code and Green Highway Policy of 2015, thus resulted into major air and noise pollution.

The complainants said the 30-m land along the national highway is a no construction zone but GLADA as well as the NHAI deliberately allowed construction of such commercial buildings with 100 per cent coverage, leaving no space for parking on the premises whereas plantation was mandatory to be done within the 30 m from the edge of the road. “The building plan of such eateries cannot be approved by GLADA and if it has been approved, a probe into the same is also required to be conducted. Now, vehicles are parked on roadsides, resulting into traffic jams and fear of accidents. The noise as well as air pollution is causing problems for residents of nearby localities,” Arora said.