Ludhiana: A multi-crore environmental initiative designed to rescue the polluted Buddha Dariya has collapsed into a “filthy” stalemate, leaving the streets of this city’s dairy complexes buried under mountains of animal waste.The ₹22-crore cow dung collection project, touted as a landmark solution for the city’s industrial and agricultural waste crisis, has failed to deliver results three months after its launch, leaving a system in gridlock. Under the terms of the municipal contract, dairy owners are required to deposit dung outside their premises for centralised collection. However, the system has ground to a halt due to a bitter dispute over logistics.Contractor vs Dairy OwnersOperators claim they cannot begin full-scale lifting because dairy owners refuse to comply with collection protocols. Dairy farmers argue that placing waste outside is “impractical” due to the narrow, congested lanes of the Tajpur Road and Hambran Road complexes, which lack the physical space for external dumping.The result is a total breakdown of sanitation. Lanes are currently choked with waste and stagnant, filthy water, making daily operations nearly impossible for the hundreds of dairies situated in these clusters. The environmental fallout is serious. The failure of the tender has dire consequences for the rejuvenation of the Buddha Dariya.Despite crores being spent on cleaning the seasonal watercourse, overflowing dung from the dairy units is bypassing the collection system and flowing directly into the stream. Critics are now questioning the Ludhiana municipal corporation’s accountability and its inability to enforce the very tender conditions it authored.Bureaucratic DeadlockMunicipal commissioner Neeru Katyal has issued warnings of “strict action” against non-cooperative dairy owners. However, after multiple rounds of high-level meetings yielded no progress, residents and farmers alike say the government’s assurances ring hollow. “The lanes are full of waste, and we are asking for help,” said one local dairy farmer. “But between the contractor and the officials, no one is actually moving the dung.“With the project now entering its second quarter of failure, the civic body faces increasing pressure to either redesign the collection model or face a total environmental collapse in the region’s dairy hubs. MSID:: 129952770 413 |
