RTI activists seek NHRC panel visit to Buddha Nullah

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 23

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has been requested to send a team to Buddha Nullah as its ‘highly polluted’ water is further discharged into the Sutlej river due to which public at large suffers a lot. A complaint case regarding the nullah polluting the Sutlej is pending before the commission.

Dissatisfied over the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) report on current status of the Buddha Nullah, the Council of RTI Activists has sought from the commission to intervene in the matter. Activists have requested the panel to check actual condition of the Buddha Nullah, which was once known as Buddha Dariya.

In 2016, the council president had filed a complaint before the NHRC regarding pollutants being discharged untreated through the nullah thereby polluting the Sutlej river. In this case, the PPCB filed a report with the commission stating that the water quality of the Buddha Nullah as well as Sutlej river was being monitored regularly and various preventive measures had been taken.

The PPCB report states: “Five green bridges have been installed at Buddha Nullah, near village Jainpur. The analysis results of the samples collected from downstream indicate that there is a decreasing trend in the metallic content as well as organic matter in Buddha Nullah.”

According to the PPCB report, out of the 16 disposal points, whereby effluent was being discharged into Buddha Nullah, many had been closed.

“There are 274 small and medium scales dyeing industries in Ludhiana and these have installed their individual effluent treatment plants (ETP). In order to monitor these industries at single outlet, there is proposal to install three common effluent treatment plants (CETP) of capacity 50 MLD, 40 MLD and 15 MLD, respectively,” the report added.

The PPCB requested the NHRC to dispose of the complaint case. “The polluted and untreated water is still being released in the Sutlej river from the Buddha Nullah. The public at large is being forced to use this polluted water of the river. People are suffering from health problems,” stated Rohit Sabharwal of the Council of RTI Activists in his reply to the commission letter that he received on April 10.

“If there has been any improvement in condition of the Budhha Nullah then it should be practically visible, but no such thing has happened. Out of the 16 outlets, eight are still discharging effluent without treating in the Buddha Nullah,” he added.

Sabharwal demanded that the commission should intervene in the matter to protect and safeguard fundamental human rights of the people at large. The commission should take strict action against both the PPCB and the MC for contaminating/polluting the Sutlej river and putting lives and health of the residents at risk, he said. He requested the NHRC to send a team to Buddha Nullah to check its pathetic condition and contaminated water, which was being discharged into the Sutlej river.