The residents of Gholia Kalan village in Moga have rejected the proposal to set up a cement plant in the area,claiming it will lead to excessive pollution and ruin their agriculture prospects. At a public meeting on Thursday,the village panchayat and residents passed a resolution against the project and submitted a memorandum to N S Mansahia,executive engineer of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB),and Mahinder Singh Kainth,Moga additional deputy commissioner,who were present at the meeting. The PPCB had organised the public hearing and invited suggestions and objections,if any,on a cement plant proposed to be set up by M/s New Tech Cement Industries in the village,which has a population of about 7,657 people living in around 1,386 households. Former panch Harbhajan Singh said: The village already has a cement plant operational for the last few years. The farmers,especially the small ones who grow vegetables in the area,were forced to leave farming because of the pollution caused by the plant. Mansahia said: To obtain environmental clearance,the project developers have to apply to the state environment impact assessment authority,which in turn hands over the file to the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee. The committee sets the terms of reference and public hearings held by the PPCB are a part of these terms. While many villagers wanted the plant to be set up,the majority was against it. But this does not mean that the plant cannot come up in the region,as public hearing is just one part of the entire exercise undertaken for getting the environmental clearance, he added. Another former panch Sher Singha said: There is a school within 500 metres of the proposed site. If the project is sanctioned by the government,it would have an adverse effect on the health of the children. The developers,however,claimed that the plant will be of very small capacity and produce just 30 tonnes cement per day. We have proposed to install bag filters on the plant to substantially reduce air pollution,the company said.
