After Beas spill incident, Amarinder orders crackdown on polluting industries

Reeling under severe criticism after molasses from a mill spilled into the Beas killing several fishes, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today ordered a crackdown on industries and municipalities releasing untreated effluents into the river, officials said.

Issuing directives to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and other concerned departments, the chief minister directed the chief secretary to prepare a comprehensive river cleaning plan with a timeline for its implementation.

The government will not allow pollution to damage the health of the people of Punjab at any cost, whether in towns or villages, Singh said in an official release here after chairing a meeting to review the situation after the molasses spill fiasco.

Strict action will be taken against all polluting units, as promised in the Vidhan Sabha earlier, he added.

Singh asked the state finance department to make necessary finances available for making the existing treatment plants functional and to set up new plants equipped with modern technologies.

He also sought Centre's support to strengthen the initiatives taken by the state.

Singh said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for assistance and would do so again, besides seeking a meeting with him soon.

On May 17, molasses from a sugar factory leaked into the river in Beas town, about 40 km from Amritsar, causing considerable damage to aquatic life.

Attributing the accident to record production of sugarcane, the chief minister said the Centre too should ensure that the right amount of cane is produced and sold to the mills for sugar production.

The chief minister lambasted the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for indulging in cheap publicity tactics over the issue and said that his government was seriously tackling pollution.

He also lashed out at the erstwhile SAD-BJP government for making a "mess" of the state during the ten years of their "misrule". He said it would take time to streamline things.