CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab, S Sukhbir Singh Badal today accused the Punjab government of “patronizing an environmental massacre in Punjab by turning a blind eye to the massive and man-made ecological disaster caused by the Chadha Sugar Industries and owners of the distillery.”
In a letter to the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Mr Badal described the massive pollution of river Beas water and the shocking scale of death of aquatic life in water bodies in Punjab as “a shocking example of the brazen insensitivity of the offending parties with active patronage of the state government. He said that the mill is owned by highly connected political leader who is also ‘religious advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh. “The grave irony of the tragedy authored by a religious advisor of the Chief Minister is that it has led to the contamination of the sacred Kali Bein which is
historically associated with the life of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji,”
Demanding the immediate arrest of “the members of the management and the directors of the offending Mill/distillery who are guilty of an inter-state crime now”, Mr Badal said that they should be proceeded against under relevant provisions of law for endangering lives of millions of people in Punjab and Rajsthan apart from causing a massacre of aquatic life including fish and birds. He said that the Government of India should directly address the crisis as it has already become a multi-state calamity.
The former Deputy CM also demanded that a central team from the Ministry of Environment should be deputed for an on the spot study of
the situation. “That team should assess the extent of damage caused by this calamity so far and likely to be caused in coming days and
determine the scale of compensation to be paid to the affected people.” The burden of this compensation should be borne by the guilty
industrialist, SAID Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal.
“The disaster is not just man made but is also at the same time an example of the unbelievably brazen crassness and insensitivity of the
guilty parties in this regard to the cause of protection and preservation of ecology and wild-life, with active patronage of the
state government. This environmental disaster is caused directly by the shockingly criminal and willful defiance of all norms and laws
concerning ecology by powerful people enjoying direct patronage of the ruling dispensation in Punjab,” said Mr Badal.