Finally Budha Nullah to be clean with launch of bio-remediation project

LUDHIANA, April 23:



The Union Minister for Environment and Forest Mr Jairam Ramesh today laid the foundation stone of the multi-crore Bio-remediation project for cleaning of the Budha Nulla. The Rs 16 crore project will be fully funded by the Union Ministry for Environment, Government of India.



Accompanied by the local MP and the National Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress Manish Tewari, Mr Ramesh latter while addressing a press conference said, this is the first and the largest project of the ministry across the country where bacteria are used for cleaning of the water-bodies. There are five places across the country where such Bio-remediation projects have been launched. He said, the effects of the project will be seen within one year of its launch.



The minister also announced that the project will be closely monitored not only by the union ministry but by the experts as well as the public representatives including the media. He said, effective monitoring was essential for all these projects so that these are taken to the logical conclusion.



He hoped that the state government will implement the projects as had been promised to him by the Chief Minister Mr Prakash Singh Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal when they met him in New Delhi.



Mr Ramesh said, during the last one year the union environment ministry had sanctioned Rs 316 crores for various projects in Punjab. Earlier, he said, during a ten year period between 1998 to 2010, the ministry had sanctioned Rs 216 crores to the state.



The minister expressed concern over the environmental degradation in Ludhiana district. He said, Ludhiana is the richest district in the country but is not as clean as it should have been. "Ludhiana is rich but not clean", he remarked, while adding, more attention needed to be given to the cleanliness.



Giving details of the project, he said, the Bio-remediation project is cost effective and cheaper than conventional treatment, easy to handle and does not need highly skilled man power and electricity to run the treatment process.



He said, the Central Pollution Control Board had identified seven firms for carrying out such bioremediation projects in open drains especially for the drains adjoining river Ganga. However, he said, Budha Nullah was one of the drains selected for demonstration of the Biro-remediation technology.



Among others present on the occasion included Fatehgarh Sahib MP SS Libra, Qila Raipur MLA Jassi Khangura, Isher Meharban, Rakesh Pandey, Pawan Dewan and others.


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