Amritsar, April 24: Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, after surveying the Tung Dhab drain in Amritsar, claimed that dairy units contribute 74% of the pollution in the water body, with the rest coming from untreated sewage and industrial waste.
Targeting dairy owners, Seechewal said those profiting from cattle and milk must also manage the waste responsibly. “They should first be educated, then held accountable,” he told administration officials.
Invited by Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and Pollution Control Board Chairman Adarsh Pal Vig, Seechewal said he would now work on a strategy to address the pollution. He asked municipal authorities to ensure that colonies treat wastewater before releasing it into the drain.
At a prior meeting in the DC Complex, he stressed that clean air, water and soil are a shared responsibility and criticised the long-standing neglect of natural resources. “Rivers have become dumping grounds, the air is poisoned, and the soil degraded, while society remained silent,” he said.
Minister Dhaliwal praised Seechewal’s previous work on the Kali Bein and Buddha Nullah and urged him to lead efforts to clean the Tung Dhab drain around the holy city.
