Buddha Nullah pollution: File compliance report before next date, NGT tells Punjab

In a matter pertaining to the major cause of pollution in Ludhiana—Buddha Nullah—taken up by the Public Action Committee, the NationalGreen tribunal vide orders dated February 20, 2025 has directed Punjab to file compliance report before the next date of hearing. Kapil Arora and Jaskirat Singh informed that the special purpose vehicles of all three common effluent treatment plants belonging to Focal Point, Tajpur Road and Bahadur Ke textile dyeing clusters had filed their respective appeals against the orders issued by Punjab Pollution Control Board following the directions of Central Pollution Control Board for restraining them to discharge treated effluent into Buddha Nullah. The Tajpur and Focal Point CETPs had filed an appeal before the NGT for relief on ground that the state government was to prepare one irrigation channel along the nullah for use of treated effluent for irrigation purposes in around 35 villages of Ludhiana and Moga. It is pertinent to mention here that at the time of commencement of construction of CETPs, all three clusters had taken combined environment clearance from the Union ministry of environment in which it was clearly mentioned that there will be no discharge of treated water into Buddha Nullah and on same grounds, they filed three petitions and two impleadment applications before the tribunal.