Congress legislator from Bilaspur Shailesh Pandey on Monday raised the issue of dumping of garbage and sewerage in Arpa, lifeline river of state’s second most populous city Bilaspur.
By moving a call attention motion, Pandey drew attention of the house on contaminated water in Arpa. He also brought with him a bottle filled with Arpa water and claimed that the laboratory tests too have confirmed it is polluted.
"Big drains of the Bilaspur city are contaminating the river with 8 to 10 crore liter polluted effluent,’’ he said.
Replying to his motion, the Urban Administration Minister Shiv Daharia informed the House that effluent from 11 big drains were the main reason for pollution in the river. The government is planning to establish sewerage treatment plants and the treated water would be sold to National Thermal Power Corporation, he apprised.