Buddha Nullah Pollution: Deadline nears, work on chain link fencing project yet to resume : The Tribune India

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Updated At: May 20, 202307:53 AM (IST)

Around 75 per cent of the fencing of Buddha Nullah has been completed under the project till date.

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, May 19

The project for the installation of a chain link fence along a 14-km stretch of the Buddha Nullah is yet to be completed. The fencing — which was to be completed by June 30 — is to be done along those portions of the Buddha Nullah which are within the jurisdiction of the MC.

Buddha Nullah, a tributary of the Sutlej, is one of the most polluted water bodies in the state, and the rationale behind its fencing is to prevent polluters from dumping solid waste and plastic into the nullah.

The project, which had an estimated cost of Rs 13.39 crore, was halted approximately six months ago due to proposed changes in it. However, work on it has not resumed so far. Originally, the project was to be completed by December 2021 but it missed this deadline.

During a review meeting of the Smart City Mission projects in November 2022, it was emphasised that the project had achieved 75 per cent progress and was expected to be finished by December 31, 2022.

However, it missed this expected deadline as well and in the recent review meeting held in April, the physical progress of the project was still at 75 per cent, despite the extended deadline of June 30.

Area resident Sukhman Singh said the MC must take preventive measures to stop all kinds of pollution in the Buddha Nullah. The ongoing fencing project must be carried out in a proper manner so that no solid waste accumulates in the nullah, he added.

According to a source, officials had made recommendations for modifications in the project. These include filling the gaps and levelling the banks of the nullah. Additionally, the need to install gates at various points was felt in order to facilitate the deployment of machines for cleaning purposes. There is a proposal to install around 224 gates along the nullah.

A file outlining these proposed changes has been submitted to the higher authorities, but an approval is still pending. Consequently, the project work remains at a standstill.

The installed fences have either bent down or are on the verge of collapsing at some points. This is because there are gaps between the ground surface and the installed fence in these locations. Solid waste accumulation has still continued in the nullah. In response to this, the MC has deployed a machine to clean the nullah near the Peeru Banda area.

MC Superintending Engineer Sanjay Kanwar said work on the project would resume after an approval is received from the higher authorities regarding the proposed changes.

Officials await approval

According to a source, officials concerned with the project had made recommendations for modifications in the ongoing project. These include filling gaps between the ground and fences and levelling the banks of the nullah. There is also a proposal to install around 224 gates along the nullah. MC Superintending Engineer Sanjay Kanwar said the remaining work would be resumed once an approval is received from the higher authorities regarding the proposed changes.

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The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.

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