In Punjab and Haryana High court: Punjab submits status report; factory says workers allowed in, not the raw material

Villagers under the banner of the Sanjha Morcha Zira have been protesting in front of the distillery — Malbros International Private Limited, owned by former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra — for the past five months, demanding the plant be shut down as it was allegedly polluting groundwater in several villages besides causing air pollution. The factory has been lying closed since July 24 and partially reopened for operations on Monday.

On November 22, the high court had asked the Punjab government to deposit ?15 cr with the registry and issued a show cause notice of contempt against the additional chief secretary (home), additional director general of police (law and order), the DC and SSP of Ferozepur for failure in implementing the directions and guidelines issued by Supreme Court and high court concerning protests.

As court resumed the hearing Tuesday, the Punjab government submitted the status report.

Senior Advocate Puneet Bali, with Sandeep Goyal, counsel for petitioner, Malbros International Private Limited, submitted that while labourers are now entering the factory, the raw material is not being allowed to be taken in and the protesters have still kept one gate closed.

Appearing on behalf of one of the protestor, Senior Advocate RS Bains submitted that that they have been staging peaceful protest. Bains further contended that factory is polluting the environment and ground water since many years. He requested the HC to pass an order that that no industrial unit can make pollute environment.

After hearing the arguments, the the court asked the leaders of protesters to end their “illegal” protest and also not violate law and order, said Puneet Bali.

“Only after that you (protesters) can expect any direction from the court whether it is the about the formation of a fresh committee which satisfies them and the court will then grant it,” said Bali, sharing the details of the hearing.

The next date of the hearing in the matter is fixed for December 23.

Earlier, the the petitioner distillery had claimed a loss of more than Rs 17.80 crore since the forced shutdown.

The HC on the previous date had ordered for constituting a committee – headed by a former judge of the high court – to assess the unit’s estimated loss/damage and has directed the panel to submit its report within a period of two months to the court.