How important environment is for Patiala district MLAs? Failed to turn up for an important event
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
On July 29,2022 district administration Patiala and Punjab Pollution Control Board had organised a special event “ Annual Conference on Implementation of District Environment Plan” at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology campus, Patiala.
The highlight of this event was the presence of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goyal, Chairperson National Green Tribunal (NGT). This is for the first time that Justice AK Goyal had come to attend such kind of function in Punjab.
Along with NGT chairperson, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha and prominent environmentalist, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Higher Education and Languages, Sports and Youth Services, Administrative Reforms and Printing and Stationery Departments of Punjab, Rahul Tiwari, IAS, Secretary of Science, Technology and Environment Department, Punjab Pollution Control Board Chairman Prof. Adarshpal Vig also arrived as special guests in the Conference.
The event became important after the announcement made by the chief minister Bhagwant Mann that a massive Afforestation and Greening drive has been initiated in the State of Punjab for augmentation of forest and tree cover through plantation of more than 1.2 crore saplings.
But, the elected representatives of Patiala districts missed this important function on “My Environment My Responsibility. Let’s Protect It Together” theme.
When contacted the deputy commissioner Patiala Sakshi Sawheny whether the Patiala district MLAs were invited, to which she replied in affirmative.
MLA Patiala (Rural) Dr Balbir Singh arrived late in the function and MLA Ghanour Gurlal Ghanour reached when almost the function was going to finish.
When contacted the Patiala (urban) MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli to know, why didn’t he come up to attend this important event held in his area he said that was in Chandigarh as his father was unwell. On three days a week, he stays in Patiala and rest four days at Chandigarh .
Meanwhile, MLA Rajpura Neena Mittal, MLA Nabha Gurdev Singh Dev Mann, MLA Shutrana Kulwant Singh Bazigar, MLA Saour Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra couldn’t be contacted despite repeated attempts. MLA Samana Chetan Singh Jormajra is a cabinet minister holding health and family welfare department.
” These MLAs have time to visit here and there, to attend other functions, but no time to attend such an important function, when Patiala is amongst the polluted cities” said Gurjit Singh a political analysist .
While delivering his keynote address, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goyal, Chairperson of NGT said that a polluted environment and impure natural resources have become a big challenge for us, and to deal with it, a step needs to be taken to prevent the environment at war footing level.
How important environment is for Patiala district MLAs? Failed to turn up for an important event. During the conference, NGT Steering Committee Chairman Justice Jasbir Singh, Justice Pritam Pal, Justice S.N. Agarwal, SC. Aggarwal, Dr Babu Ram, Environmentalists from KhetiVirasat Mission Ominder Dutt & Amarinder Singh Dhanoa, district industrialists, students, Lok Sabha in-charge of AAP party Inderjit Singh Sandhu, urban president Tejinder Mehta, rural president Megh Chand Shermajra, Angrej Singh Ramgarh, ADCs (UD) across Punjab, officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board were present.
July 30,2022
