Soni seeks report from PPCB on Rana Sugar Mill
AMRITSAR:DAYS after local people and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged that the Rana Sugar Mill is releasing polluted water into the village’s drain, leading to the spread of diseases in the area, environment minister OP Soni said on Tuesday that he has asked officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to submit a report on the situation.
Khaira, along with his supporters, had tried to approach the drain outside the Rana Sugar Mill to expose the alleged release of polluted water from it, which the company has been refuting. Situated at Buttar Sivia village , 52 km from here, the company is owned by the family of former Congress minister and Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh.
Replying to a media query in this regard after inspecting Bhagat Industrial Corporation Limited, Khasa, here, the minister said he has asked an official of the chief engineer rank to prepare a report in view of the allegations levelled by the opposition leader, and present it to the board soon.
The issue of pollution is being created by industrial units after a large number of fish and other aquatic animals were found dead in the Beas river on May 17 due to the discharge of molasses from Gurdaspur-based Chadha Sugar Mill. Besides imposing a fine of ₹5 crore on the mill and ordering a criminal case against it, the state government has also suspended an executive engineer and a subdivisional officer of the PPCB.
MINISTER VISITS DISTILLERY
Amid the demands being raised by the people to check pollution being created by the industrial units in Punjab, Soni, along with a team of PPCB officials, on Tuesday conducted a surprise inspection at a distillery of the Bhagat Industrial Corporation Limited, and checked various departments of the factory. However, the minister was informed that the factory has shut its distillation unit and boilers for long, only the bottling unit and recycling unit are working.
SUKHBIR DEMANDS ARREST OF CHADHA SUGAR MILL OWNER
Former deputy chief minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday reiterated his demand for the arrest of the owner of the Chadha Sugar Mill for polluting Beas river water.
Sukhbir was here to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. He said due to the effluents released by the mill, thousands of animals were killed and the water of the Majha and Malwa regions has been badly contaminated. “A fine of ₹5 crore is not enough. The mill, owned by one of the kin of Punjab CM Amarinder Singh’s religious adviser Paramjit Singh Sarna, should be sealed and its owner arrested,” he said.