The National Green Tribunal has recently formed a panel for the rejuvenation of five ponds in the historic Alamgir village in Punjab’s Ludhiana district.
Alamgir village, renowned for Gurudwara Shri Manji Sahib and notable for its association with the tenth Guru of the Sikh community, Guru Gobind Sahib, saw the NGT engaging in proceedings in response to a petition.
The petition highlighted the existence of five ponds within Alamgir, all located in densely populated regions, that have succumbed to pollution, thereby creating unhygienic conditions for the adjacent villagers.
The petition added, “While one of the ponds is encroached, two others are filled with “black dirty water, dumps of garbage and American grass.”
Further, it said that the putrid ponds affect “daily life of villagers, particularly during the rainy season.”
The NGT bench comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel stated, “We consider it appropriate that a joint committee be constituted to verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action.”
The committee, composed of representatives from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), including its regional office in Chandigarh, the Punjab State Pollution Control Board, and the District Magistrate (DM) of Ludhiana, was constituted by the bench.
The NGT bench instructed the committee members to convene within a week, addressing, “appropriate remedial action, including removal of encroachments and rejuvenation of the ponds”.
Furthermore, the tribunal directed the joint committee to submit factual assessment and actions taken within a span of two months.
Now the matter has been listed for further proceedings on November 6.
