Ludhiana: Buddha Dariya, a major source of pollution for the Satluj River, has also been a political issue for several decades. Political parties often use this drain to win voters’ hearts, making numerous promises to clean it, but no tangible results have been achieved. Residents believe that no one truly wants to resolve the issue, as keeping it polluted benefits certain businesses. With upcoming MC elections, parties are expected to once again promise to address the Buddha Dariya pollution.
The Rs 650 crore Buddha Dariya Rejuvenation Project, initially met with high hopes, has seen those hopes gradually fade. Launched in 2021 during the Congress regime, the project saw its first sewage treatment plant (STP) inaugurated by CM Bhagwant Mann at Tajpur Road. While the project is nearly complete, a legal issue has stalled the pumping station near Gaughat Gurudwara, leaving MC officials searching for a solution.

Despite the installation of new STPs for domestic waste and effluent treatment plants (ETPs) for dairy units, the desired results have not been achieved. Chemicals continue to reach the STPs, and cow dung waste is still entering the ETPs, casting doubt on the project’s success.
A resident of Haibowal and activist, Kumar Gaurav, said: “If Buddha Dariya were cleaned, the political leverage for parties would also end. With such a mindset among politicians, who will protect the public? Many factors contribute to the pollution in Buddha Dariya, including dyeing units, dairies, and electroplating units.” He added that no one is serious about addressing the issue, else it would have been resolved.
BJP leader Gurdeep Gosha said no one wants to solve this problem due to its complexity. He said that if any government truly wants to clean Buddha Dariya, they must deal strictly with violators to see visible results.
Former MLA Ranjit Singh Dhillon said: “The Congress initiated the bioremediation project to clean Buddha Dariya using green bridge technology and later spent Rs 650 crore on the project. Now, the AAP govt has failed to implement the project properly.”
He emphasised the need for a detailed survey to identify polluters around the drain to solve this issue. However, he noted that neither Congress nor AAP has been able to address it effectively.
Former Congress MLA Sanjay Talwar said: “Only when all political parties unite with the sole goal of solving Buddha Dariya pollution can this stain on the city be removed.” He said that action should be taken against all violators, noting that Buddha Dariya has naturally cleaned itself twice — once during Covid-19 and again last year during the rainy season. He added that while nature can heal Buddha Dariya, all sources of pollution must be addressed.
AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi, who has recently highlighted this issue, said: “We will clean the drain as strict directions have been issued to officials to act against violating units. The project was designed to treat around 750 MLD of water, but the actual volume is 1,500 MLD, so there is a need to hike the capacity of the STPs.” Gogi expressed confidence that they will find a solution.