The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has decided to honour Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) Executive Director Umendra Dutt and a Ludhiana-based industrialist Joginder Kumar,at the annual state-level function being organised by the board on June 5. The function will be held at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research to mark World Environment Day. The award is given for dedicated work for the cause of environmental issues. According to sources,Dutt has been critical of the state governments policies pertaining to environmental cleanliness. Kumar,on the other hand,has been instrumental in successful running of Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). The names were finalised following a high-level meeting of the board chairman and the senior government functionaries, they added. Board officials confirmed that for this years honour,Umendra and Joginder were short-listed by PPCB for their contribution towards spreading awareness and work for the clean and green environment. Joginder Kumar is an industrialist from Ludhiana and CEO of the Special Purpose Vehicle installed to run the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP),located at Focal Point Phase-VIII,Ludhiana,where more than 600 industrial units earlier discharged untreated water. From a non-functional CETP in 2006,we now give 1 lakh litre of treated water to the industrial units and we hope to increase the capacity to 4 lakh litre per day. The award is a token for my hard work,said Joginder. In three years time we have ensured that there is zero effluent discharged by more than 500 industrial units that are our signatories, he claimed. Working with KVM,a movement for natural farming and ecological restoration of Punjab based at Jaitu,Faridkot,Dutt has to his credit several articles on sustainable farming and need for building a pro-people,non-polluting and sustainable model of development in industry as well as agriculture. Two of his articlesGreen Agenda for Sustainable Punjab and Environmental Health Crisis in Punjab,Who Cares are highly critical of the role of successive governments in dealing with the crucial issue of environmental health and ecological crisis and preventing the environmental degradation. Speaking to The Indian Express,Dutt said,It is a pleasant surprise that the government has decided to honour me even after being a bitter critic of the wrong policies and shortcomings. It shows that there is still large scope of improvement and the government is keen to improve its working. The depleting natural resources,degraded environment and intense environmental health crisis has posed a serious ecological imbalance and is a threat to the state. I have always worked to form a balance and am not against the government or the PPCB but there should be a check on their working and there is a need to pinpoint the wrongdoings committed not only by the government but also by individuals, he said.
