Ludhiana: Waste treatment plants face hefty fines amid violations

Hindustan Times

13-06-2025

Even as the state and central government have pumped in crores of rupees for the construction of sewage and effluent treatment infrastructure in Ludhiana, these facilities have come under serious scrutiny for repeated environmental violations. The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has slapped environmental compensation (EC) running into crores on various common effluent treatment plants (CETPs), effluent treatment plants (ETPs), and sewage treatment plants (STPs) across the city for failing to comply with environmental norms in the past few years.
In several orders issued over the past few years, the PPCB has pointed to a consistent failure in plant operations, ranging from non-functioning equipment to untreated discharge being released into natural drains. While the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC), in its defence, has submitted that it completed the construction of several STPs and handed them over to the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, the penalties continue to be imposed due to lapses during operational control and maintenance periods.
According to officials, these violations indicate serious negligence on the part of the civic body and related departments. While crores have been spent on the construction of these plants, environmental compensation of almost equal magnitude has been levied — reflecting systemic issues in their operation and monitoring.
Among the biggest violators is the CETP at Bahadur Ke. In a series of five different EC orders issued between October 2022 and January 2025, a total penalty of nearly ₹10 crore has been imposed. Similarly, the 50 MLD CETP near the Central Jail on Tajpur Road has faced six EC orders in just four months between September 2024 and January 2025, with fines totalling over ₹5 crore.
The 40 MLD CETP at Focal Point was hit with a ₹2.96 crore penalty this March. Meanwhile, STPs at Balloke and Bhattian have also faced fines ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹68 lakh each.
Environmental compensation has also been imposed due to the non-installation of CETPs for dairy complexes, with the PPCB issuing a ₹3.6 crore penalty in March 2023.
Environmental experts have raised concerns about the mounting penalties, warning that unless strict accountability and timely corrective measures are implemented, the city will continue to face both ecological damage and financial loss.
The situation reflects a dual failure- massive investments made into the infrastructure on one hand, and a string of costly environmental penalties on the other. With EC orders continuing, the civic body is now under pressure to not only fix the operational gaps but also ensure that environmental safeguards are genuinely implemented on ground.
PPCB chief RK Rattra said, 'The EC has been imposed by the PPCB during past few years and regular action is also being taken against offenders. Few of the compensations have been deposited but rest remain yet to be submitted by the departments and CETPs.'
Rajya Sabha MP, Balbir Singh Seechewal said, 'The 2.25 MLD ETP, which was made few years ago on Tajpur Road at the cost of ₹9 crore but EC imposed on this plant is more than ₹3 crore which is a sheer wastage and pressure on common people as this is taxpayers' money. I request the MC officials and other departments to dispose of the cow dung at Tajpur Road dairy complex area so that the ETP can run properly and cow dung is not released into the Buddha Nullah.'