Politics
Punjab govt to check Buddha Nullah pollution, says Rajya Sabha MP Sahney
Published On Fri, 24 Jul 2026
Asian Horizan Network
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New Delhi, July 24 (AHN) National Green Tribunal (NGT) observations vindicated concerns over the pollution in Buddha Nullah, one of the most polluted tributaries of the Sutlej river, in Punjab’s industrial town Ludhiana, and the state must ensure strict implementation to check it, said Rajya Sabha member Vikramjit Singh Sahney on Friday.
He received a reply from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to his parliament question, which reaffirmed the seriousness of the pollution in Buddha Nullah and highlighted the need for stronger implementation by the Punjab government.
Sahney informed that the reply reveals that the NGT, in its order dated January 13, directed the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to impose and recover environmental compensation from defaulting industries.
It further stated that repeated inspections by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) found all four common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) in Ludhiana to be non-compliant with prescribed discharge standards, following which CPCB issued directions to PPCB to stop the discharge of untreated effluents into Buddha Nullah.
Sahney welcomed the constitution of the high-level committee by the state government and noted that the PPCB has imposed environmental compensation of approximately Rs 21.18 crore on violating units under the “Polluter Pays Principle”.
He urged the state government to ensure that the committee submits a time-bound action plan with measurable milestones with clearly defined responsibilities and implementation timelines, along with periodic progress reviews, so that the rejuvenation of Buddha Nullah is no longer delayed and tangible results are achieved.
The NGT, in its order in 2025, had slammed the dyeing industry for “years of unchecked pollution and institutional failure”. The NGT had directed the Punjab Pollution Control Board to submit a comprehensive report on violations by the CETPs, along with environmental compensation calculations and recovery.
