(MOREPIC1)VIKRAMDITYA SHARMA/Ferozepore
The Farmers who have been sitting on protest demanding closure of the Ethanol Plant at Village Mansurwala in Zira sub-division for more than two months, have vehemently denied to accept the NGT Report which was read out to them by the officials from Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) including XENs Rajiv Goyal and Rohit Singla, who tried to explain the findings to the protestors but in vain.
Notably the PPCB team had went to the dharna site yesterday along with DSP Zira Palwinder Singh and Naib Tehseeldar Vinod Kumar, but the moment the PPCB officials read the NGT report to the protesting farmers, they started raising slogans against the PPCB, the district administration and state government, alleging them of conniving with the corporate houses.
While addressing the farmers, PPCB team member Rajiv Goyal said that the NGT team had taken the samples from all the places which were recommended by the protesting farmers but as per the report there were no adverse findings. “No evidence has been found which could prove that the groundwater is being contaminated due to discharge coming out of the ethanol plant. The samples which were taken by the NGT team, were sent to three different laboratories and all have same report. Even the soil samples have been passed by the agriculture department, terming it okay for the farming”, said Goyal.
(SUBHEAD)However, the protesting farmers said that they were determined to continue their protest till the tangible outcome. The Farmer union members said that the government was trying to befool them. “We will intensify the stir and take it at the state level during the coming days”, said Balraj Singh, one of the protesting farmers, alleging that the authorities were hand in glove with the plant management.
Earlier also, the PPCB team had gone to the protest site to explain the findings of the report on Saturday, however, they were turned back, and asked to come today to explain the report but to no avail. Earlier also, all attempts of the hapless administration to pacify the farmers had turned futile.
Meanwhile, Pawan Bansal Chief Administrator of the plant said that there was no bigger agency other than NGT to ascertain the factual position on ground. ” If the farmers are not convinced with the report, what else can be done” he added, reiterating that the plant was following all the norms, and there was no omission at their level.
When contacted, Karunesh Garg Member Secretary PPCB said that there was no indication of any kind of industrial pollution in the report. The samples were taken in presence of the members of NGT Monitoring Committee so there was no chance of any doubt on the same, he added.
