Chandigarh, October 28
Former Punjab BJP State President Avinash Rai Khanna has expressed deep concern over a report published in a newspaper stating that groundwater in six districts of Punjab—Rupnagar, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Kapurthala, SAS Nagar and Ludhiana, contains several harmful substances, including fluoride, arsenic and lead. As a result, people in these districts may be at risk of developing serious diseases such as cancer. He said that this situation is a matter of grave concern for the health and future of the people of Punjab.
In a statement issued from the party’s head office, Khanna questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, saying that he makes tall claims about Punjab’s water almost every day, but the ground reality is exposing the truth behind these claims. If Punjab’s groundwater itself is becoming contaminated with harmful substances, where are the government’s policies for environmental protection and public health? He said that instead of making tall claims about water, the Chief Minister should focus on the problem of the state’s increasingly polluted water resources.
Khanna said that the people of Punjab are already struggling with various health problems, and contaminated water could further aggravate their difficulties. The government’s responsibility is not merely to issue statements, but to ensure that people have access to clean and safe drinking water.
Khanna demanded that the government immediately conduct scientific testing of groundwater in the affected districts, make the findings public, and prepare a time-bound action plan to address the problem of contaminated water. He said that protecting Punjab’s water resources is not a matter of political propaganda, but a serious issue directly linked to people’s lives. The Chief Minister must fix accountability in this matter and take concrete action.
