Ludhiana: Amid the growing concerns about environment protection, Ludhiana recorded the second-highest cases under environment protection laws among metropolitan cities of the country in 2024, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.Ludhiana: Over the past few years, issues like pollution, deforestation, climate change and natural disasters have prompted many across the country to take up the cause of the environment. Ludhiana too has seen an outpouring of concern for the environment. According to the latest report of the NCRB, the industrial city recorded the second highest cases under environment protection laws among metropolitan cities of the country in 2024.As per the last NCRB report, with nine cases, Ludhiana was at number two spot among 34 metropolitan cities of the country. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) in Maharashtra took the top spot with 29 cases, while Faridabad in Haryana reported five cases. In 2023, Ludhiana was at the number three position among the metropolitan cities of the country, and Aurangabad was at the top.The report suggests that in Punjab, apart from Ludhiana city, Fatehgarh Sahib reported one case under the Environment Protection Act. The cases from Ludhiana constituted 19.6% of the cases in the 34 metropolitan cities of the country.The number of such cases in 2024 was 200% more than the number reported in 2023.Data on the number of such cases in Ludhiana since 2018 suggests that the maximum such cases were registered in 2021, while no case was registered in 2018.However, green activists feel that the figures only skim the surface.Kapil Arora, founder member of Public Action Committee (PAC), an organisation that takes up issues related to the environment, said that state govt doesn’t seem to follow environment laws.He alleged that despite them moving NGT to flag issues of pollutions, the MC was not presenting the true picture before the Apex body.A PAC member alleged illegal discharge of industrial waste into water bodies and said that sewerage disposal was not properly checked. He also underlined the prevalence of waste burning.Kapil Arora said many such cases go unreported.
