Citizens should help in saving our environment and build mass movement: Chairman, NGT

Ludhiana: Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, Chairperson, National Green Tribunal (NGT) today said that all citizens should join hands and build a mass movement for saving our environment. He said that it is duty of every citizen to protect our environment for our future generations.

Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said this during a workshop on Awareness for Environment Protection organised by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) at Dr. Manmohan Singh Auditorium, PAU, here today. This workshop was dedicated to the 550th Parkash Purb of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and is the first workshop of its kind on awareness for environmental protection concluded herewith a health note "Better Environment, Better Tomorrow”.

Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, Chairperson, NGT while presiding over the plenary session accentuated that the workshop was organized on this theme to bring out the urgent need of awareness among the stakeholders in particular and the masses in general to protect and improve the fast deteriorating environmental conditions, because, if we will not build better environment, there would be no better tomorrow. The situation is alarming and the Hon'ble Supreme Court and NGT have also issued directions for compliance of water, air and waste management rules.

He further elaborated that this workshop on awareness for environmental protection has given an ambitious goal to all the stakeholders to be partners in this holy mission so as to ensure the Better Environment for Better Tomorrow.

Justice Jasbir Singh, Chairman, NGT, monitoring committee for rivers Satluj and Beas said that due to increasing pollution, the world is facing climate change and if the environment kept depleting in the same pace, then the losses would be irreparable. He also stressed on the need to follow the teachings of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in its true spirit.

Justice Pritam Pal, Chairman NGT monitoring committee for river Ghaggar, emphasised on the need for providing such an atmosphere for our future generations so that they can also lead a healthy life.

Prof. S.S. Marwaha, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board elaborated that this workshop was organized to have view points of the leadership of judiciary, government, non-government organisations on the issues of environmental protection and to know how to reach the masses so as to involve them in this mega campaign. Accordingly the plenary and interactive sessions were planned.

This workshop also provided the space to discuss the best practices of air, water and solid waste management and role of media particularly print, electronic and social media in supporting the efforts of the state in combating the pollution and other environmental challenges. He hoped that deliberations in this workshop will go a long way in planning and implementing the strategies so as to find a way protecting our environment in a better way. Also it is envisaged that the civil society will also get motivated and shall start working to keep their surroundings clean and safeguard the environment.

The workshop was also addressed by Mr Alok Shekhar, Principal Secretary, Department of Science Technology & Environment, Govt. of Punjab, Dr B.S. Dhillon, Vice Chancellor, PAU, Ludhiana, Prof CR Babu, Former Pro Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, Mr SC Aggarwal, Chief Secretary (Retd) Punjab, Mrs Urvashi Gulati Chief Secretary (Retd), Haryana, Mr JS Kamyotra, Ex Member Secretary of CPCB, District & Sessions Judge Mr Gurbir Singh, Mr BK Jha, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Ludhiana, Mr Rajpal Makhani from Garbage Decoder Society, Dr Jaskaran Singh Mahal, Director of Extension Education, PAU, Mr Lalit Mohan Pathak, President, Municipal Council, SBS Nagar, Prof Ravindra Khaniwal, Department of Community Medicine, PGIMER, Mr Amit Sharma, Chief Editor (North), Jagran Group of Publications, Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, besides several others.

The speakers discussed the air pollution scenario in this region in general and Punjab in particular and cleared the various questions raised by the audience. They also shared the technical and scientific advances made by the State of Punjab to combat the pollution due to Stubble burning. It was emphasized during this workshop that Punjab being the land of Gurus, we must follow the eternal message of Guru Nanak Pawan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mohat which is immensely relevant in contemporary times and all of us must work in tandem to develop better environment for better tomorrow.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Deputy Commissioner Mr Pradeep Kumar Agrawal, MC Commissioner Mrs Kanwal Preet Kaur Brar, MC Councillor Mrs Mamta Ashu, Mr Krunesh Garg, Member Secretary, PPCB, besides several MC Councillors, industrialists, students and members of NGOs, and others.