After months-long protest, Punjab CM Mann orders closure of liquor factory in Ferozepur

In a video message announcing the distillerys closure on Tuesday, CM Mann said, For purity of Punjabs water, air and its land, and keeping in view the interests of the people, after consulting legal experts, I announce that orders have been issued to shut down the liquor factory in Zira with immediate effect. Mann said that no one, however affluent they might be, would not be allowed to take environment norms for granted.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday ordered the immediate closure of a distillery and ethanol plant in Ferozepur's Zira after a months-long agitation against the unit by local villagers.

Alleging that the distillery was polluting groundwater in several villages and causing air pollution at Mansurwal village in Zira, the villagers staged demonstrations in front of the plant for the past six months under the banner of Sanjha Zira Morcha. Though a reaction from the distillery owners was not immediate available, its counsel Puneet Bali said the company had not received any closure order.

''We will see what legal options we can seek. We will have to look at the legal options after looking at what actually has happened,'' Bali said.

He also questioned the role of the committees formed by the government. The state government has formed committees to look into allegations of crop damage, water pollution, adverse impact on humans and animals and health because of the distillery. It had also informed Punjab and Haryana High Court about the committees. In a video message announcing the distillery's closure on Tuesday, CM Mann said, ''For purity of Punjab's water, air and its land, and keeping in view the interests of the people, after consulting legal experts, I announce that orders have been issued to shut down the liquor factory in Zira with immediate effect.'' Mann said that no one, however affluent they might be, would not be allowed to take environment norms for granted. He said whoever flouted the state government's stipulated norms would be sternly dealt with.

Mann said the decision to close the distillery was taken after due deliberations with environment and legal experts.

He reiterated the state government's commitment to check environment pollution to make Punjab clean, green and pollution free.

He unequivocally said no one would be allowed to wreak havoc on the state's environment.

The months-long protest against the distillery had turned into a major challenge for the Mann-led AAP government with local villagers getting support from various farmers' bodies, religious organisations and political leaders.

Villagers were adamant on their demand for the factory's closure for allegedly polluting the underground water.

Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier imposed a fine of Rs 20 crore on the state government for failing to get lift 'dharna' after the plant owner moved court.

It also formed a three-member committee to ascertain the financial losses suffered by the plant because of the protest.

The committee, led by Justice RK Nehru (Retd), met the protesters and factory owners on Tuesday.

The protesters said they were happy with the announcement.

''We had started this protest in July... we were determined for the closure of this plant, which was contaminating groundwater due to which the residents belonging to this area were falling ill and our cattle were dying. ''During this tough journey we lost a few of our people but finally we won,'' said Jagtar Singh, a protesting villager.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)