Brick kiln owners accept winter shutdown, demand legal binding

LUDHIANA: Punjab Brick Kiln Owners Association (PBKA) held a meeting of all its members at Ludhiana on Wednesday. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss issues being faced by brick kiln owners. The association members also urged the government to issue a notification with regard to operating brick kilns only from January to June ever year, as it is acceptable to them, but it should also be ensured that the issues being faced by the businessmen are resolved by the government at the earliest.Giving more information, PBKA president Kuldip Singh Makkar said the brick industry in Punjab was the backbone of construction activity, and there were about 3,000 brick kilns in Punjab. He said: “We are under extreme stress for the past five years, and it has become impossible to earn bread and butter out of this business. But since this new government has taken charge, things are beginning to improve. As the Punjab State Council has proposed a new design for brick kilns, which shall reduce the pollution of brick kilns by 70%, we have agreed to adopt this new design for the better future of mankind.”Makkar added: “Shifting to new design requires extensive modification in existing kilns, and also requires 24-hour electric supply. As the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has suggested to the association that bricks kilns may be kept shut for the winter season, and be allowed to operate only from January to June only every year, we have accepted this proposal. But the government should issue a notification in this regard, making it a legal binding on every brick kiln owner.” PBKA chairman KK Khanduja said: “The new rule to take environmental clearance (EC) before excavation of brick earth is almost impossible to follow. If this were a hazard to farmers or crops, then this system should not have continued for so long. Rather, farmers themselves approach kiln owners to take away the top layer, which over time has lost fertility due to excessive use of pesticides. Moreover, after a recent Supreme Court order, all mining activities now require prior EC from the competent authority. This is highly impractical for us in Punjab.”PBKA members have also moved a memorandum to Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to highlight their demands, and requested for a time-bound solution to the problems. Those present on the occasion included PBKA general secretary Surinder Singla and cashier Ravinder Goyal, among others.