‘Fine to be used for restoring Beas ecology’

PATIALA: The Chadha Sugar Mill representatives, led by its president Rattan Singh Anmol, on Thursday appeared before a panel of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) which had issued it a notice in connection with the leakage of molasses in the Beas waters.


The state pollution board also submitted its detailed report to chief minister Amarinder Singh at a highlevel meeting in Chandigarh on Thursday.

The PPCB inquiry report found that “damage to the Beas and its flora and fauna has been immense and ecological degradation caused by the incident shall take years to regenerate the ecology of the river.”

The report suggested a five-year project by a committee of wildlife experts, scientists from the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Gadvasu) and pollution board officials for revival of the flora and fauna in the river. Pannu said the environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore would be deposited with the PPCB on the basis of polluter pays the principle, as held by the Supreme Court and the money would be utilized for conservation and restoration of the ecology of the Beas, including rejuvenation of aquatic life.

The officials operating the mill have been found negligent in the storage of molasses that led to the disaster and should be prosecuted Under Sections 43 and 44 read with Section 47 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 by the environmental engineer of PPCB regional office Batala.

The inquiry report also criticized the mill management for its failure to pay required attention to the safety of installations within its compound. “It was the added duty of the mill to take the issue of industrial safety more seriously in view of the fact that the industry is situated on the river bed which is an environmentally-sensitive zone,” the report said.

A criminal complaint, according to a suggestion in the report, should be filed against the mill and against the person/s who at the time of the offence was committed was in charge.