All canals to get fresh water in next 24 hrs: Pb Govt

Punjab Government on Sunday assured that all canals in the State will get fresh water up to the tails in the next 24 hours. At the same time, the authorities concerned have requested the residents not to use water from these canals for drinking purposes.

Punjab Government is constantly monitoring the situation in the Beas river after the molasses spillover from the Kirri Afghana’s sugar mill, said the state Environment Minister OP Soni, while adding that the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and senior officials of the Irrigation Department along with the Deputy Commissioner are continuously reviewing the situation at the grassroots level.

“To deal with the situation arising due to molasses spillover, 2,000 cusecs of water from Ranjit Sagar Dam has already been infused in the river Beas. After that, the situation has improved,” he said.

He said that the Environment Department has constituted a committee, under the chairmanship of Punjab Pollution Control Board chief engineer, which will submit its recommendations so that these types of situation never occur in future.

Soni said that the environmental issues were never take up seriously by the previous government, that was why there is no check on mills and factories, who used to spillover their chemicals and other hazardous residues in canals and streams.

“Punjab Government is committed to save the environment and water of Punjab. Whoever is responsible for the Beas incident, will not be spared at any cost,” he declared while adding that Chaddha Sugar Mill has already been sealed and security deposit of Rs 25 lakh has also been confiscated.

Soni also said that strict instructions have been issued to the officials of the Environment Department and the Punjab Pollution Control Board to strictly monitor the situation and strict action will be taken against those industries who are contaminating the rivers and streams.

Meanwhile, Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman Kahan Singh Pannu said that according to the instructions of the government, the stocks of molasses in all the sugar mills and liquor factories of the state were being checked out so as to make sure that this type of incident never happens in future.