Rajya Sabha Member and renowned environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, while reiterating the Punjab Government’s commitment to making the drains and Chitti Bein pollution-free, issued strict instructions to officials to stop the discharge of sewage into Kala Sanghian and Jamsher Drains and into Chitti Bein. Rajya Sabha member—while presiding over a meeting here at District Administrative Complex to review the efforts being made to make the drains pollution-free and the functioning of the STPs in the city, in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Dr. Himanshu Agarwal and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Jalandhar Sandeep Rishi—emphasized the 100 percent operation of the sewage treatment plants.
He told the officials that regular checking should be ensured to closely monitor the functioning of the sewage treatment plants, and that responsibility should be fixed on the concerned officer if any treatment plant is found non-operational. He also instructed the officials to form monitoring committees to stop the direct flow of sewage waste into the drains.
He issued directions to the officers of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to shut the bypasses so that only treated water flows into the drains. While reviewing the work of releasing water into the Kala Sanghian Drain, Sant Seechewal told the officials of the Drainage Department and the National Highways Authority to jointly visit the drain so that the technical obstacle currently present could be removed as soon as possible, paving the way for releasing 100 cusecs of water.
He stated that along with the placing of stones in the drain, the work of constructing the channel for releasing water had also been completed. The Rajya Sabha member also reviewed the project to supply treated water for agriculture usage from the Basti Peerdaad sewage treatment plant.
The officials informed that the testing of the pipeline laid for this purpose is underway. Sant Seechewal instructed the officers to speed up the testing work and complete it within 15 days so that treated water can reach the fields.
During the meeting, the Rajya Sabha member also reviewed the progress of the Waryana bio-remediation project and the ongoing process regarding the biogas plant at Jamsher. He told the Municipal Corporation Jalandhar to ensure water supply as per guidelines. In addition, he directed officials to explore possibilities for supplying treated water from the Jamsher and Bambiāṅ-Wālā treatment plants for agricultural use.
Earlier, Rajya Sabha member Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, along with Municipal Corporation Commissioner Jalandhar Sandeep Rishi, AAP leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara, and other officials, visited the treatment plants located at Pholriwal and Jamsher to review their functioning and issued the necessary on-site directions to the officials.
The meeting was attended by DCP Naresh Dogra, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) Jasbir Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) Navdeep Kaur, and officers from various departments.