CHANDIGARH: A crucial meeting aimed at discussing the proposed establishment of a cement plant in Mansa district, Punjab, was indefinitely postponed on Tuesday following strong opposition and a protest staged by local villagers and farmer unions.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the district administration had convened the meeting at the Zila Parishad Complex in Mansa. The assembly was intended to bring together various government departments, representatives of the proposed cement factory, and local community leaders to deliberate on the project. However, the gathering was disrupted as representatives from the villages of Talwandi Aklia and Karamgarh Autanwali refused to participate, signaling widespread dissent.
Activists under the banner of the Sangharsh Committee, Talwandi Aklia (Talwandi Sabo Morcha), and the Bharti Kisan Union (Sidhupur) led the demonstration. They asserted that the cement plant project is facing significant opposition not only from residents of the directly affected villages but also from neighbouring communities and various environmental and social organisations concerned about its potential impact.
Mansa Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Kritika Goyal, who recently assumed her role in the district, stated that the meeting was called to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue. She explained that the objective was to hear the perspectives of concerned officials, village representatives known as sarpanches, and the company stakeholders. “I have joined here recently and the meeting was called to understand the issue,” Goyal said, adding, “Now, the meeting is postponed until further orders. The union members also submitted a memorandum.”
Leaders of the Morcha articulated that villagers have been vocal in their opposition to the proposed plant for an extended period. They highlighted that formal objections to the project were registered by residents during a public hearing conducted on July 14 of the previous year, underscoring the long-standing nature of the community’s concerns.
Sukhdeep Singh, president of the Sangharsh Committee Talwandi Aklia, and Tarsem Singh Gobindpura, district president of BKU (Sidhupur), jointly appealed to the state government to withhold the issuance of a no-objection certificate for the proposed factory. Their plea stems from deep-seated apprehensions regarding the potential consequences of establishing an industrial facility of this nature in close proximity to densely populated areas.
The farmers’ union representatives expressed significant concerns that the establishment of a cement plant near these villages could have detrimental effects on public health. They pointed to the potential for adverse impacts on air quality, soil contamination, and water resources, raising alarms about long-term environmental degradation and its consequences for the well-being of the local population. The postponement of the meeting indicates the administration’s acknowledgment of the strong local sentiment against the project, suggesting that further dialogue and consultations will be necessary before any decisions can be made.
The Chenab Times News Desk