Ludhiana dyeing units go on strike over closure notice

Charge pollution control board with corruption and harassment

Industrialists, along with employees of Ludhiana's dyeing units, supported by various industry associations, went on strike and held a rally outside the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) office to protest against the alleged harassment by board's officials.

The PPCB recently served closure notices to around 118 polluting units of Ludhiana. The agitated owners of the dyeing units vented their anger against PPCB Chairman Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa by calling his department "corrupt."

Speaking to Business Standard, T R Mishra, Chairman, Federation of Dyeing Factories Association, said the PPCB has served closure notice to the dyeing units just to harass them.

The strike is expected to affect hosiery, dyeing, cycle and spinning industry of the state.

Claiming that all the units, summoned by the board, are equipped with treatment plants, he said it is high time the state government takes note of "wrong doings" of the PPCB officials. He further said that of the total industrial discharge, dyeing units contribute only 2 per cent.

"The PPCB officials openly ask for money from the owners of the dyeing units. When we refuse to grease their palms, the board officials start harassing us. Even if samples are cleared, they come for several rounds of inspection," he said.

Urging the state government to take action against corrupt officials, Mishra said, "The board officials should not be allowed to arbitrarily take samples from industrial units and harass industrialists. If the government does not put an end to the problem, industrial units would gradually shut down."

In the year 2004, the Punjab Small Industries Export Corporation (PSIEC) set up a common effluent treatment plant (CETP) at Focal Point, Ludhiana for the treatment of effluent discharged from dyeing and electroplating units of the city.

However, none of the industrial units is getting its effluents treated here. The CETP was constructed at a total expenditure of Rs 3.68 crore, in a plot measuring 5,000 square yards.

Prominent industrialists including V P Chopra, Joginder Kumar, Bhushan Abbi and representatives of several industrial associations, including the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association, the Chamber of Commercial and Industrial Undertaking, the Focal Point Industrial Shed Association, the Focal Point Welfare Association, the Tajpur Road Dyeing and Factory Association and Ludhiana Electroplaters Association, took part in the protest.