SRIGANGANAGAR PROTESTERS SLAM PUNJAB GOVT ON CANAL WATER POLLUTION, DRUG SUPPLY

Raj Sadosh/Abohar.

Hundreds of farmers, general public including women, staged a massive protest against the Punjab government outside Padampur SDM office in Sriganganagar, railing against the influx of toxic, chemical-laden water and narcotics from Punjab. They highlighted that the contaminated water flowing through various canals and the large-scale smuggling of drugs from Punjab have become critical issues affecting every segment of society. Kisan Sangharsh Samiti spokesman Subhash Sehgal said, “It is unfortunate that the government shows no sensitivity toward the public’s welfare; all claims regarding the provision of clean drinking water have fallen flat. Dangerous ailments, including cancer, are proliferating on a large scale in the region.”

Farmer leaders—including Sukhvir Singh Fauji, Lakhwinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Dilbag Singh Sandhu, Taj Singh Dhillon, Balkar Singh Hundal, Sonu Toor, Davinder Basra, Rajkumar Kharod, and Babu Singh—along with other farmers, citizens, and women, voiced their anguish while displaying bottles filled with the toxic, chemical-laden Gang Canal water. Humans are being forced to consume water that animals would hesitate to drink, hundreds of thousands of people are grappling with this grave crisis, protesters said.

The agitated protesters surrounded the SDM’s office and pressured him to sip the toxic water, leaving him stunned. Women explained to the administration how narcotics are wreaking havoc on the lives of youth in the market town and surrounding rural areas—a menace that is unfolding openly. Despite repeatedly apprising the administration of the ground reality, the issues of drug abuse and toxic water continue to pose a severe threat to public health. Seeing images of the chemical-laden canal water compels one to reflect deeply on why people’s lives are being treated so callously. It is the duty of public representatives from Rajasthan also to understand the public’s suffering and remain sensitive to matters concerning the common good.