Seechewal removed as PPCB member; Akali Dal cries foul
SOME SAY SEECHEWAL, A MEMBER FOR NEARLY A DECADE, REMOVED IN THE WAKE OF NGT PENALISING PUNJAB ON THE BASIS OF HIS REPORT; OFFICIALS SAY IT’S ROUTINE EXERCISE
PATIALA: The Punjab government in a reconstitution of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has removed environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal as a member of the body and replaced him with Baba Sewa Singh.
Seechewal, a recipient of Padma Shri, the country’s fourth highest civilian award, for cleaning the Kali Bein rivulet and taking up various environmental issues, served as a member of the board for nearly a decade.
Besides administrative secretaries of government departments and other senior officials who are ex-officio members, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice-chancellor BS Dhillon, Sonalika Tractors vicechairman AS Mittal, Ludhiana industrialists Rupinder Sachdeva and Poonam Mehra have been included in the 17-member board.
Even as some are linking Seechewal’s replacement with the recent penalty of ₹50 crore imposed by the National Green Tribunal on the Punjab government for pollution in rivers, PPCB termed it as a routine exercise. The fine was imposed on the basis of a report of a committee formed by NGT in August this year. The committee comprised Seechewal and members of the pollution control boards of Punjab and Rajasthan and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
“The last board was constituted a decade ago, and the file for reconstituting it was initiated much before the NGT ruling,” said PPCB secretary Karnesh Garg.
‘An unfortunate decision’ Condemning the Congress government for removing Seechewal as PPCB member, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday said it was an unfortunate move.
“Someone who has rejuvenated the Kali Bein associated with Guru Nanak has been insulted on the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism. He combined the self-help philosophy with the essence of Gurbani. He instead should have been selected for special honour,” SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema said.
“Seechewal is known for speaking his mind. He spoke against industrial discharge in the Beas that led to the death of thousands of fish. The waste came from a sugar mill associated with Paramjit Singh Sarna, religious adviser of chief minister Amarinder Singh. The government must take back the decision,” he added.
Seechewal could not be reached for comments.