Residents of about a
dozen villages protested against the Mandi Gobindgarh nagar council
here today for not giving their problems a proper hearing.
The protesters
alleged that the civic body had started dumping garbage and
discharging polluted water on land purchased by it for the
installation a water treatment plant.
Baldev Singh said
the nagar council had purchased six bighas near the villages about
five years back. He stated that the water was used for agriculture,
affecting crops.
He added that the
villages affected included Badali, Barounga, Fatehpur, Wazirabad,
Mudriyan, Mullanpur Kalan, Mullanpur Khurd, Wazir Nagar, Kheri and
Jalalpur.
Gurmeet Singh
alleged that residents of villages were getting afflicted by cancer,
paralysis and skin diseases from the garbage and contaminated water.
Girjinder Singh
claimed that the authorities had assured them at the time of land
purchase that a water treatment plant would be installed there.
When contacted,
Amloh SDM Tejinder Singh said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had
directed municipal councils not to dispose of garbage and contaminated
water in this manner.
He asserted that an
inquiry was pending in this regard and appropriate steps would be
initiated in this regard.
