Villagers protest against industrial pollution

TONSA (NAWANSHAHR): Hundreds of villagers took out a march in Tonsa town of Nawanshahr district, protesting against rising pollution from chemical units, which they claimed, was causing diseases including cancer, especially among children.
Holding placards, the villagers raised slogans in front of chemical units and also criticized the Punjab Pollution Control Board for failing to take action against these units -- based in Tonsa and Rail Mazra areas -- situated on Ropar-Nawanshahr border.
District Youth Congress president Rajwinder Singh Lucky said that water samples of nearly 167 hand pumps and 10 wells had recently failed due to increasing residual wastage. Water from as many as 25 tubewells in the area have been declared unfit for irrigation.
The protesters said that about 300 families of six villages -- including Bhoiwal, Fatehpur, Tajowal, Tonsa -- surrounding the industrial centre were severely affected by industrial pollution for the last many years and several people had developed TB and other serious disease like cancer. Lucky said they would continue their agitation against the chemical units in future.