Ludhiana: After Punjab Dyers’ Association members met the deputy commissioner to voice their concern about Kale Pani Da Morcha activists’ plan to close CETPs at Tajpur Road on Dec 3, police personnel visited them at Tajpur Road on Saturday. During the meeting, police assured them that they would not allow any damage to property or industrial infrastructure.
After announcing their plan to close dyeing units’ CETPs at Tajpur Road on Dec 3, activists exhorted people from across Punjab to bring sand to close the CETP outlets. Police have been instructed to arrest anyone trying to create disturbance at the site. Police force has been deployed at the site to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, activists of Kala Pani Da Morcha are holding meetings with residents of villages around Buddha Dariya and asking them to reach Tajpur Road on Dec 3. They maintain that the industry does not have permission to dump discharge into the Buddha Dariya but govt officials are not doing anything to stop them.
On the other hand, Punjab Dyers Association allege that the dyeing industry is being targeted “with the intention of blackmail.” Industry representatives contend that they are fulfilling their responsibility towards the environment by setting up three state-of-the-art CETPs to clean Buddha Dariya. According to them, water quality has improved after commissioning of the CETPs. They say that isolated industrial units which did not join efforts to establish CETPs and are still polluting the drain are the real culprits.
Entrepreneurs say that the dyeing industry cannot be solely blamed for pollution of the Buddha Dariya, particularly as the CETPs were giving good results. They maintain that pollution of the Buddha Dariya is caused by dairy units as well as unidentified electroplating, printing and dyeing units not treating their discharge. They say that the dyeing industry should not be made a scapegoat for the negligence of others.
During a press conference held on Thursday, Kale Pani Da Morcha activists described the pollution caused by dyeing units as an emergency situation for Punjabis. Saying that such pollution had increased the incidence of cancer in the state, they exhorted residents to be part of the drive.
One of the activists said that a large gathering would converge near the Verka Milk Plant on Dec 3, after which people from Punjab and Rajasthan would march towards Tajpur Road to close two outlets from which 9 crore litres of poisonous water was being allegedly discharged into the Buddha Dariya every day.
CM’s intervention sought
Amid the ongoing tussle between activists and dyeing unit owners, former member of state task force for Buddha Dariya Rejuvenation project, Col Jasjit Singh Gill, wrote to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Saturday and sought his personal intervention in the matter. He also called for an emergency meeting with activists leading the Kale Pani Da Morcha, who want pollution-free water for people of Punjab and seven districts of Rajasthan.
In the letter, he mentioned that activists would not have to campaign for safe water for people in South Punjab and Rajasthan if the previous government and PPCB had acted on time. He pointed out that the stand-off between activists and industrialists was detrimental to the image of the govt. He also expressed apprehension of the situation worsening. He said that clean air and water were fundamental rights of all citizens.
“It is a very sad situation and still avoidable because I feel as a head of government you need to intervene rather than treat it as a law and order situation because both activists, people and Industrialists are in your care,” he stated.