Buckling to the pressure of protesting farmers and residents of 44 villages protesting since July last against the contamination of groundwater by the ethanol plant at Mansurwal village in Zira, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced the closure of the same “with immediate effect”.
“No one would be allowed to pollute the environment of Punjab, and thus, I am ordering the closure of the liquor factory at Zira,” announced the Chief Minister on Twitter, in a video message.
The decision come on the day the protest, under the banner of Sanjha Zira Morcha, against the private distillery entered its 178th day; and the day a three-member panel — constituted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court — met the protesters and factory owners earlier in the day.
Notably, farmers of 44 villages surrounding the Malbros International Private Limited distillery at Zira in Ferozepur district have been protesting since July 24, 2022, alleging contamination of groundwater by the ethanol plant owned by former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA and liquor baron Deep Malhotra.
The Chief Minister, in his video-tweet, stated that the decision to close the factory had been taken after consulting the legal experts.
Announcing the closure of the factory, the Chief Minister categorically said that no one, however affluent he may be, will not be allowed to take the environmental norms for granted. “Whoever will flout the stipulated norms framed by the State Government will be dealt with sternly…The decision has been taken after due deliberations with environmental experts and legal luminaries,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that keeping in view the castigating effects of this project on the environment and ecology of the State, this project has been shelved.
Reiterating the state government’s firm commitment to check the environmental pollution for making Punjab clean, green and pollution free, the Chief Minister unequivocally said that no one will be allowed to play havoc with the environmental conditions of the state.
Mann added that he will take every step to ensure the well-being of the state and its people.
Hailing the state government’s decision, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal described it “better late than never”.
“The farmers who raised the voice against pollution caused by the factory had to protest for months, facing the vagaries of the weather, action from the police and local administration,” he added.
HC-Constituted Panel Met Protestors, Factory Representatives
High Court-constituted panel, led by Justice RK Nehru along with committee members — Additional Commissioner (Excise and Taxation) Viraj Tidke and advocate Babbar Khan, met the protesters and the factory representatives on Tuesday before the Chief Minister’s announcement. Even as the factory representatives claimed that “nothing illegal” was going on in the factory, the protestors substantiated their claims with video recordings and pictures.
The panel, after taking note of the stance of both sides, asked them to submit affidavits which would be placed before the High Court, which is hearing the matter regarding the same. The next hearing of the case is on February 28.