Climate and Health Air Monitoring Project
(CHAMP)
Mobilizing Health Care Facilities for Air Pollution Monitoring and Communicators of Air for better Health
In every committee two members each as suggested by Sanjha Morcha Zira have been added, but the morcha in a statement on Thursday had stated that a few members suggested by them have either been behind bars or booked in different cases by the district administration since Sunday onwards
Members of different committees formed by the Punjab government – as directed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court – to study the impact of groundwater on soil, to check pollution and its effect on the general health of humans and animals, reached Zira on Friday.
The members will be working from Zira Market committee office, said Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amrit Singh.
In every committee two members each as suggested by Sanjha Morcha Zira have been added, but the morcha in a statement on Thursday had stated that a few members suggested by them have either been behind bars or booked in different cases by the district administration since Sunday onwards. So, till the time they are released and FIRs against them are quashed, the morcha members will not be taking part in any work being done by government officials in different committees.
Sanjha Morcha Zira has been staging a dharna against a liquor factory for the past 153 days. The morcha wants the liquor unit to be closed as it claims the plant is causing groundwater pollution in several villages nearby. But the Ferozepur DC has stated that the committees are all set to start their work and villagers or morcha members can coordinate with them anytime .
For public hearing committee, the Punjab government has appointed Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) chairman, principal chief conservator forests, and member-secretary PPCB as members, while to conduct survey of cancer, hepatitis B patients in the area, a team of four doctors has been appointed by the Punjab government. These doctors are: Dr Rajesh Kakkar, HoD of medicine, AIIMS, Bathinda; Dr P V M Lakshmi, professor of epidemiology, PGIMER Chandigarh; Dr Ravin Khaiwal, professor of environmental health, PGIMER Chandigarh; and Dr Gagandeep Grover, assistant director, department of health and family welfare, Punjab government.
In the soil fertility committee, director of research, PAU; HoD, soil science department; and HoD, soil and water engineering department, PAU; are the committee members appointed by the Punjab government, while to check cattle and other animals’ health in the villages around the liquor factory, the Punjab government has appointed Dr S S Randhawa, director, veterinary clinics, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU), Ludhiana; Dr Jasbir Bedi, director, Centre for One Health, GADVASU; and Dr S K Sharma, professor and HoD, veterinary and pharmacology department, GADVASU; as its committee members.
The deputy commissioner has appointed Arun Kumar, additional deputy commissioner (development), as the nodal officer and Mittar Mann, block development officer, as the liaison officer for the working of these committees. They will visit different villages in the coming days to study the impact of groundwater on the soil, and general health of humans and animals. They will also interact with the villagers to take their feedback, officials said.