‘Will take years to restore ecosystem of Beas river’
Chief wildlife warden says damage massive; PPCB report in; CM likely to hold meet on Friday
entire ecosystem of the Beas river, which has been effected due to molasses leakage, will take a few years to recover, Punjab chief wildlife warden said on Tuesday.
Noting that the leak has caused massive damage to the aquatic life, he said the restoration of ecosystem does take time.
“It is not that ecosystem in river will get restored in a few months with the kind of catastrophe we have witnessed. It is going to take a few years,” chief wildlife warden Kuldip Kumar said.
A large number of fish were found dead in the Beas on May 17 after molasses from a sugar factory in Gurdaspur district leaked into the river. Eight to ten varieties of fish including cat fish, common carp died because of low level of oxygen in the river.
Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh is likely to hold a meeting with senior officials in connection with the incident on Friday. Meanwhile, the wildlife department is also monitoring the long term effect on the behaviour of Indus dolphins, which were sighted in the river two days after the molasses leakage incident, Kumar said.
The wildlife department has filed a petition in a Batala court under the relevant provisions of the Wildlife Act, seeking action against the mill owner.
The mill belonged to Jasdeep Kaur Chadha, daughter of former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) leader Harvinder Singh Sarna. Her late husband Hardeep Singh Chadha was the brother of liquor baron Ponty Chadha; the brothers died in crossfire.
Meanwhile, a report of the probe committee led by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) chief engineer GS Majithia was submitted on Tuesday to the state government for an appropriate action. “We have received the report which was submitted by PPCB chief engineer. We will examine the report,” principal secretary (science, technology and environment) Roshan Sunkaria said. However, he refused to divulge any content of the probe committee report.
Talking to reporters, environment minister O P Soni said the government is not running away from its responsibilities. “Fish died because of molasses leakage. How and why this happened it will be clear in the report,” the minister said. He rubbished allegations by the opposition of “protecting” the owner.
NO FIR BY COPS YET
Meanwhile, there is still no police action, even an FIR, against the mill owners. There is, however, a complaint by the wildlife department in a court in Batala (Gurdaspur); and the court has set the hearing for June 2.
On May 18, Charanjit Singh, district forest officer, lodged a complaint at Beas police station in Amritsar. “As the mill from which the molasses was released into the river falls in Gurdaspur district, the matter is in jurisdiction of police of that district,” said Karanbir Singh, station house officer (SHO) of Beas, though fish were found dead in the river stretch in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts too.