MC monitoring committee to check STPs

Ludhiana: To keep a check on the functioning of sewerage treatment plants (STP), the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) has framed a monitoring committee on Wednesday. The officials will be monitoring STP on Jamalpur Road, which has been failing to segregate industrial waste, and is considered non-functional. The other two STPs in Bhattian and Balloke too are non-functional. These STPs have been releasing untreated waste in Buddha Nullah.
The committee has been formed in compliance with the action plan submitted by the MC with the NGT monitoring committee to bring down the pollution level in Buddha Nullah.

MC commissioner KP Brar held a meeting with the officials of operation and maintenance cell to frame the monitoring committee. The officials of the branch have been handed over the responsibility to take care of treatment plants and ensure these should work properly. In case of any shortcomings, the concerned officers will be held accountable.

The superintending engineer of operation and maintenance cell Ravinder Garg said, “Since we had submitted our plan of action with the committee framed by NGT, now we have to implement those plans. Setting up of monitoring committee is also part of the action plan.” He said apart from this, they will fix the deadlines for various steps to curb the pollution level in Buddha Nullah. Talking about Jamalpur STP, he said, “If this plant is non-functional, then concerned officers will give a report of the same and we will take action against the contractor for not running the plant properly.”

Notably, NGT had framed a monitoring committee in an ongoing case of polluted water being supplied in the districts of Rajasthan after residents filed a complaint regarding the same. The NGT had formed this committee for preparing a plan to curb the pollution of Sutlej at any cost. Environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal is also one the members of the committee.