Industrialists stumped as HC orders closure of 35 ‘erring’ units

Suresh Goel, Chairman, PPCB, said, “The hearing in the case is scheduled for next month where the Chief Secretary will submit a status report in the high court. The court has very categorically ordered that all those units that are pumping untreated water in the Buddha Nallah directly or indirectly should be closed down. To begin with, we have ordered the closure of those units that drain dirty water directly into the nallah.”

Goel added, “Two years ago, the P Ram Committee had suggested that these units should be shut down. For the last one and half years, we have been asking the erring units to clean up their act and start treating their water before dumping it or identify some place where it could be used for irrigation but all in vain.”

Meanwhile, the issue once again has attained a political hue with the Bhartiya Janta Party openly supporting the aggrieved industrialists. “The party plans to hold a protest rally on the Gill Road tomorrow against the decision of the PPCB outside its office on the Gill Road,” said Rakesh Gautam, media in charge, BJP.

Brahm Dutt Sharda, President, Dyeing Factories’ Association, meanwhile, added, “The state government has let us down. Despite our repeated pleas, the government has not been able to guide us to attain zero-discharge level. The authorities never came to our aid and now with this order by the high court, we are in the doldrums.” Sharda added, “The sentiment amongst the industry as such is very low due to the slowdown in the economy.”

What now remains to be seen is whether the latest order by the PPCB is mere a lip service. “There is nothing to worry. All this is just to give a reply to the court. Once this is done, the industry will start working again, at least till the next court hearing or the PPCB will take these orders to its logical end,” said a businessman.

In July this year, during a meeting with the industrialists in the city, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had provided reprieve to industrialists. The intentions of the state government on this issue remain complex. On the one hand, the CM wants to clean the Buddha Nullah and on the other hand does not want to antagonise the industrialists.