LUDHIANA: Two industrialist brothers from the city —a video of whom throwing two bags full of ash in the Doraha canal went viral on Sunday — have apologized for polluting the water body and said they were just following a
priest’s advice.
The apology came even as the irrigation department filed a complaint with Doraha police. Rajeev Jain and Sanjeev Jain, who own a cycle parts factory at Focal Point and are residents of Barewal Road, have written an apology to the executive engineer of Punjab Pollution Control Board. Their apology came amid outcry over their act, and NGOs and citizens groups demanding action from the PPCB, National Green Tribunal and even the Prime Minister’s Office. There were two videos of the act, one of 51 seconds and the other lasting for a minute and 14 seconds.
Talking to The Times of India, Rajeev said they had organized a religious function at their home on June 9 and they went to Doraha bridge at 4.30 pm to throw the ash of the hawan into the canal, after the priest advised them to do so. He said they didn’t realize the ash would pollute the canal. “I admit to having committed a mistake; I wouldn’t do so in future. If our intention would have been bad, we would have disposed of the ash at night or at some distance downstream,” said Rajeev.
On other hand, former councillor Tanvir Singh Dhaliwal, who shared the video on his Facebook page, sought registration of FIR against the duo. “We have been opposing the pollution of our canals, and this just shows how people do not care about the environment,” he said.
The Punjab irrigation department, meanwhile, submitted a written complaint to Doraha police station against the two brothers. Doraha sub-divisional officer (SDO) of irrigation department Sandeep Singh said they had asked the police to identify the duo and book them. “We have listed in the application that the duo have committed an offence under Section 70 (5) of Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, which entails imprisonment for six months and a minimum fine of Rs 5,000 or both,” he said. “In the application, we have written that they polluted the canal. We don’t know the material they dumped in it, though,” the SDO added.
Doraha police station SHO confirmed they had received a complaint. Khanna SSP Navjot Singh Mahal said action would be taken as per law.
The first video shows the two men throwing at least two bags of ash into the first
Patiala feeder (that goes to Sangrur and
Mansa) at Maanpur near Doraha bridge. As soon as the two persons throw the ash into the canal, the water turns black and remains so till some distance downstream. Later, when the person making the video questions them, one of them tells him not to record the video and the other one asks him if he is a minister. The person making the video then records the vehicle number of the duo’s
Honda Amaze car in which they had carried the black soot.
‘Can’t act, it’s not industrial waste’
Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) chairman K S Pannu said that PPCB could not take any action if a person threw religious paraphernalia into the canal. “Those people have already apologized. We can only act if there is industrial waste,” he said.