Ludhiana: Even as Ludhiana grapples with poor air quality, garbage is allegedly being burnt in the open at several spots across the city, prompting the Public Action Committee (PAC) to seek action from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and district administration.In a complaint submitted to the PPCB member secretary and Ludhiana deputy commissioner Thursday, PAC flagged multiple garbage-burning hotspots and sought immediate inspections, environmental compensation and stringent penalties against those responsible. It said action should also be taken against the municipal corporation if its sanitation workers were found involved.The committee alleged that municipal waste was being burnt along roadsides, on vacant plots and at other public places, releasing toxic smoke and adding to air pollution. It claimed private individuals as well as sanitation workers were reportedly involved.Among the spots flagged are Sector 39 Vegetable Market, areas near car repair centres on GT Road close to Gurdwara Shri Arjun Dev at Samrala Chowk, the Basti Jodhewal Flyover Chowk-Sunder Nagar stretch, beneath Jagraon Bridge and along the Sidhwan Canal between Ishar Nagar and Lohara Bridge.PAC also cited open plots on Gill Road, the area near the hot mix plant on Hambran Road, near Greenland School behind Vardhman on Chandigarh Road, opposite the DC office on Ferozepur Road, behind Feroze Gandhi Market and the district courts, and parts of Basant Nagar, New Shimlapuri and Janta Nagar.Expressing concern over allegations that people engaged in sanitation work were also burning garbage, PAC said waste collected from the city should be transported for proper processing and disposal rather than set ablaze in the open. It alleged that such incidents pointed to gaps in supervision and enforcement.The committee sought inspections of the identified spots and action against those found responsible.
