Ludhiana: No action against units polluting Buddha Nullah, allege activists
RK Rattra, chief engineer of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, refused to comment. The matter is already under consideration and is being heard by the National Green Tribunal so I can’t comment, he says
A non-governmental organisation — Public Action Committee (PAC) — has launched a scathing attack on the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), accusing it of protecting dyeing industries responsible for the illegal discharge of untreated effluent into the Buddha Nullah. The committee said it has filed contempt petitions in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against PPCB officials and directors of two common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) for “failing” to follow environmental norms and “misrepresenting” facts before the tribunal.
PAC members Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Jaskirat Singh said that despite clear NGT orders directing the PPCB to ensure compliance with environmental clearance norms and stop the release of industrial waste into the Buddha Nullah, the board “failed” to act effectively. The board not only supported the dyeing industry’s shifting arguments but also deliberately delayed legal proceedings by changing lawyers and submitting misleading replies,” they said.
The PAC said, “The dyeing industrial units initially claimed confusion over the NGT’s directions. Later, they blamed the state government for failing to construct the Lower Buddha Nullah drain and finally argued that environmental clearance was not applicable to them after a 2018 central notification. They even denied the validity of the 2013 environmental clearance granted to their projects.”
Environmental activists Amandeep Singh Bains, Kapil Arora and Gurpreet Singh pointed out that Ludhiana has already been classified as a critically polluted area by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), making environmental clearance mandatory under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. They said any industrial unit operating within a 5-kilometre radius of such areas must secure environmental clearance before starting operations.
The PAC highlighted that the CETP projects had received financial grants based on environmental clearance conditions mentioned in the 2013 approvals, and over half of the construction was completed before 2018.
The NGO further alleged that on December 23, 2024, the PPCB submitted before the NGT that CETPs had complied with norms — a claim the committee called false. They said contradictory statements from the industrial units and evidence suggested otherwise, leading them to move the NGT with contempt pleas against the member secretary and chief engineer of the PPCB, as well as the directors of the 40MLD and 50MLD CETPs.
The committee also accused the PPCB of deliberately weakening legal cases. Although criminal complaints were lodged against the CETP operators, the PPCB allegedly failed to provide complete addresses in court documents, making it difficult for courts to issue summons. Even after the issue was flagged, the board took no corrective action, the PAC alleged.
The PPCB, instead of acting in public interest, is busy protecting violators, the PAC added.
When contacted, PPCB chief engineer RK Rattra refused to comment. “The matter is already under consideration and is being heard by the National Green Tribunal . So I can’t comment.”
