‘115 caught dumping garbage in Sidhwan Canal in past 11 days’

Ludhiana: After Ludhiana police registered three cases against persons dumping garbage into the Sidhwan Canal, volunteers of NGOs and civic officials working to clean the water body claimed that in just 11 days, they found 115 persons polluting the canal.
Mandeep Keshav, founder of the NGO, Marshall Aid Foundation and an MC employee, said that as part of the drive to keep Sidhwan Canal clean, 20 volunteers of the NGO and 10 MC officials have been keeping a check on disposal of garbage into the canal since January 11. He added that volunteers check such activity from 6am to 10am near Verka Milk plant on Ferozepur road, near Sidhwan waterfront, BRS Nagar Canal, Pakhowal road, Jawaddi, Dugri, Gill canal, bridges. He also said that there were four or more volunteers at each of the points.
“We record the video of people dumping garbage into the canal at such points and click their pictures as they do so. When we find such people, we ask them to lift the garbage thrown by them from the canal as it is dry these days. We also request them not to damage the environment,” said Mandeep.
He added that material dumped into the canal mainly consisted of beddings, worship material and garbage. Besides three cases registered recently, registration of seven more cases has been recommended against those polluting the canal.
NGO members and MC officials said that since January 11, NGO volunteers and officials had found 125 persons dumping garbage into the canal. They added that they had taken down numbers of 45 vehicles on which people come and dump garbage into the water body. NGO members said that besides asking people not to throw garbage in the canal, they also make them aware of the legal repercussions of causing pollution.