Akhara residents oppose bio-gas plant, gherao MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke's residence at Jagraon

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 18

Akhara village residents on Tuesday gheraoed the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke at Jagraon to protest the setting up of bio-gas plant at the village. They blamed the MLA for failing to take up the issue of setting up the plant, which will degrade the environment.

Notably, protests were already going on in several villages, including Bhundari, Akhara, Ghungrali Rajputan and Mushkabad. A bio-gas plant at Ghungrali Rajputan village was already functional, but operation of the same was also stopped by the villagers a few days back.

Meanwhile, experts said if farmers are claiming that setting up of bio-gas plants pollute the environment, they should also think of the environment degradation caused by stubble burning. However, farmers said apart from burning, managing stubble incurs huge expenditure.

Environmentalist and social activist Kuldeep Singh Khaira said any kind of pollution whether caused by farmers through stubble burning or by industry is not acceptable. “Farmers cause environment pollution by burning stubble for about two weeks only but what about industrial pollution which runs for the whole year. No official dares to take action. Ludhiana’s Buddha Dariya has been made Buddha Nullah and industrial waste being illegal flowed into it is responsible. Leaders lack will to take action against such violations on ground,” added Khaira.

Dr Sukhdev Singh Bhundari, a leader of Sangharsh Committee against Bio-gas Plants, said protest lasted for about two hours. MLA Manuke came out of her house and accepted the memorandum of demands. The MLA assured that she would arrange a meeting of the committee with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

“Four bio-gas plants are being set up near the populated area in Ludhiana district. Interestingly these places have been declared dark zone where ground water is already over exploited. With the setting up these plants, there would be excess use of ground water which will further hit the groundwater level,” said Singh.

Singh further said cow dung , sugarcane waste etc would be used to produce bio-gas and during it’s process, foul smell spreads in the area. “We also showed to the authorities that how the operational bio-gas plant at Ghungrali Rajputan in Khanna was degrading the environment. They had dug up wells where they were dumping waste generated from the plant. Even villagers had also apprised officials about the foul smell emanating from the plant,” added Singh.

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