Jalandhar, February 17, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Rajya Sabha Member and environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal conducted a surprise visit to the Kala Sanghian Drain. Despite ₹34 crore being spent on lining both sides of the drain with stone pitching, the drain was found filled with filth, prompting strong resentment from Sant Seechewal.
He said that instead of providing relief to the public with taxpayers’ hard-earned money, the bureaucracy is creating conditions that lead to diseases.
The drain was not only choked with garbage, but industrial waste from nearby factories was also being openly discharged into it. It is noteworthy that under the Smart City project, a 13-kilometer stretch of the Kala Sanghian Drain passing through the city was lined and strengthened with stonework.
While continuing his efforts to make the Kala Sanghian Drain pollution-free and to ensure the release of 100 cusecs of clean water into it, Sant Seechewal raised serious questions about the functioning of the 50 MLD and 15 MLD sewage treatment plants at Basti Peerdaad.
In the presence of Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Rishi, he pointed to the waste being discharged from the treatment plants and stated that there is no proper record being maintained of the waste generated by both plants. He further said that the dried sludge at the 50 MLD treatment plant indicates that its waste is being dumped into the drain.
Sant Seechewal said that no government department appears to be taking responsibility for eliminating pollution from the Kala Sanghian Drain and restoring it to a clean, flowing state. Officials present during the visit included Joint Commissioner of Municipal Corporation Jalandhar Suman Deep Kaur, Executive Engineer of Punjab Pollution Control Board Bachanpal Singh, SDO of the Drainage Department Sukhpal Singh, along with other officers.
18 Years of Struggle and Administrative Negligence
Sant Seechewal, who has been fighting against pollution in the Kala Sanghian Drain for the past 18 years, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the functioning of the Municipal Corporation, the Drainage Department, and the Punjab Pollution Control Board.
He visited the same location where, for the first time on February 22, 2008, a temporary embankment was erected to block the flow of toxic and contaminated water in the drain. A second embankment was constructed on May 18, 2011.
On both occasions, a large number of people affected by the polluted and poisonous water participated in the protest. Villages situated along the banks of the Kala Sanghian Drain are reportedly heavily affected by cancer cases.
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