Sant Seechewal urges Punjab political parties to make Environment a poll issue

Jalandhar: Padma Shri and environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal on Monday asked the politicians to make the “Environment and Water preservation” an important election issue in the upcoming state assembly elections.
He also asked the ruling Congress government to prepare a strategy to protect water resources and reforming the water supply industry at once.
Environmentalist Seechewal said due to rising pollution in the Beas, it had killed a gigantic number of fishes and other aquatic animals in the past several years but no initiative has been taken up by successive governments in this regard so far.
“Their sacrifice should not go unnoticed and for that, Congress government and opposition parties should announce that they will include the environment in their manifesto this time,” said Seechewal.
“Parties are announcing free electricity, food and other freebies but no one is talking about the real issues of Punjab including the exponential rise in water pollution. No politician is even ready to consider the depleting water as a genuine election issue. This is the high time to preserve the environment,” he said, adding that who will be responsible for this disaster as the dirty and poisonous waters flowing in all the rivers and drains of Punjab.
He also said it is also a violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, but no concrete action was being taken against anyone by the government.
He said that the poisonous water from factories in Ludhiana is constantly being released in the Sutlej and many people in the nearby villages die due to the polluted water. It is a major reason behind the deadly diseases like cancer and black jaundice in the Malwa region. But, it seems that the government is unmoved, thereby not acting upon the matter seriously.
“I appeal to people of Punjab to support the candidate of parties, which assures to make the environment an important issue of his campaign and will clean the polluted water passing through their concerned constituency,” environmentalist said.