Biomedical treatment plant finally shut

BATHINDA: After over eight months of their ‘unrelenting’ protest against the politically influential owners of a biomedical treatment plant, demanding its removal, residents of many villages in Lehra-Mohabbat area of the city finally heaved a sigh of relief when the plant was closed and all its machinery was uprooted, two days back.
The residents and farmers of many villages around Lehra-Mohabbat were protesting against the biomedical treatment plant, owned by a private firm Green Tech, following allegations that the plant was causing heavy pollution in the area by disposing off the biomedical wastage in an unscientific manner.
The local residents and farmers made a number of complaints to the health department, pollution control department and civil administration in the city to check the unscientific waste disposal of the treatment plant but the departments were allegedly reluctant in taking any concrete action against the plant due to the influence of ‘personal assistant’ of a topnotch ruling party leader. The PA was one of the four partners in the Rs 78 lakh biomedical treatment plant project, who had a 20% share in the project without making any investment. On Saturday, pollution control department authorities said, “The treatment plant was ordered to close as it failed in honouring the terms and conditions to dispose off the biomedical waste.” However, Amarjit Singh Hani of Bharti Kisan Union (Dakonda) said, “The removal of the plant is a victory of the farmers’ union.”
Earlier, though an inquiry by the health department found the treatment plant dumping the biomedical waste in the open but no action was taken. Even the protest dharnas by the residents and farmers failed to evoke any response from the authorities. But, recently, due to fast approaching elections in the state, some political leaders also joined the agitation, hopeful of cashing in on the situation to garner votes. While Congress leaders stand to gain by joining in the agitation, due to obvious reasons, even some Akali leaders, who were much annoyed with the increasing influence of ‘PA sahib’ in the area, had started lending their support to the protestors. Sources said directions to close down the plant came right from the top Akali leadership.
The treatment plant was set up near Lehra-Mohabbat in February 2009 by Dalbir Singh, a resident of Barnala. But, once the project started facing opposition of the area residents, three new partners, including the PA, joined in December 2009. The plant had been authorized to manage and handle biomedical waste within 150km radius area.