Punjab Vatavaran Chetna Lehar release People's Green Manifesto at RGC

Ludhiana, December 20, 2021: Today, People’s Green election manifesto for the Punjab Assembly elections was released at Punjab Vatavaran Lok Sammelan, an event held at Ramgarhia Girls College.  The event was organized by Punjab Vatavaran Chetna Lehar, a social organisation of  environmentalists and religious leaders. Many eco-activists, including Padamshri Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, Padamshri Sant Baba Sewa Singh ,Khadoor Sahib, Padambhushan Bibi Inderjit Kaur Pingalwara, Kahan Singh Pannu, I.A.S.and Convenor of this campaign, Giani Kewal Singh Former Jathedar Takht Shri Damdama Sahib, and others were present on the occasion. 
In the people’s demand letter, they had asked the political leaders to make the environment the main issue in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. Ranjodh Singh, President Ramgarhia Educational Council asserted that through this congregation we are urging `political parties to spell out in their manifestos how they will tackle the worsening air pollution. Leaders rarely raise an issue concerning the environment from their election rallies.  Elaborating about this issue, S. Balbir Singh Seechewal said that it is a very sad state of affairs that no political party has talked about the environment issues yet.  To have clean air is among the very basic rights of all the civilians. It is high time now that we should join hands to save natural resources which are on the verge of extinction. We are calling up all NGOs and social organizations and political parties for joining us in this noble cause. While speaking at the occasion Bibi Inderjit Kaur of Pingalwara Amritsar said that Environment has to be a top priority in the state as health of the citizens is deteriorating and medical facilities can never be enough in a situation where polluted environment is causing disease burden. 
Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal emphasized on the need for environment lovers across the state to get together and use the pressure from this network to make political class take environmental issues seriously.
Kahn Singh Pannu former chairman of PPCB said that the ground water situation in the state is very alarming due to fast depletion. The surface water is being polluted mercilessly and governments lack political will to do what is needed to be done. Punjab Vatavarn Chetna Lehar has created a People's Green Manifesto that political parties should consider very seriously and address environmental concerns in their manifestoes.
Gurpreet Singh Chandbaja of Bhai Ghanaiya Cancer Roko Seva Society and Naroa Punjab Manch said that people in South Punjab are suffering from diseases like cancer. The situation is extremely bad and toxicity in environment is causing it. All the toxic effluent thrown into Buddha Nullah by Ludhiana city and industries in the morning mixes into Sutlej and flows out of the taps of homes in South Punjab by the evening which is their only source of drinking water. This is a violation of their fundamental right to live guaranteed by the constitution and sadly genocide by pollution but politicians hardly care. Jaskirat Singh of PAC said that the politicians of all parties have been ignoring the issues of environment for very long time. We have therefore organized this platform to give them a chance to fix this mistake. This network will act as a pressure group to save our forests, rivers and air and make government invest in a cleaner and healthier future.
Among other dignitaries, Er. Kapil Arora,  Gurbinder Singh Bajwa, Sant Gyani Gurmeet Singh Khosea wale,  Umander Datt, Dr. Amandeep Singh Bains  Advo. Jaswinder Singh, Mahinderpal Singh Lumba, Dr.Amarjeet Singh Maan, Dr. Gurcharan Singh Noorpur were also present.