DW BUREAU / LUDHIANA Punjab Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Wednesday took stock of the on-going Rs 650 crore Budha Nullah rejuvenation project and directed the officials of Municipal Corporation, Sewage Board, PPCB and PSPCL to expedite the pace of all construction works. Presiding over a meeting held at MC Zone -D Office, here, Bharat Bhushan Ashu along with Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, Senior Deputy Mayor Sham Sunder Malhotra, Deputy Mayor Sarabjit Kaur, MC Councillor Mamta Ashu, MC Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal and senior officials from MC, PPCB and Sewerage Board asked them to work in tandem to complete all these works timely. While speaking to media persons, Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) have decreased nearly 70-80 percent in the Budha Nullah since Canal water through Neelon Drain of Sirhind Canal was released in Budha Nullah on August 22, 2021. He disclosed that on the day of water discharge (August 22), the BOD and COD levels were 1124 and 2157 respectively and today, the same levels were recorded 61 and 256. Over a section of society has some doubts on this step, Ashu clarified that the release of fresh water in Budha Nullah has shown some satisfactory results which are evident from reports of BOD, COD and others. He said that under Budha Dariya rejuvenation project, work on two new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for treating domestic waters of total capacity 285 MLD (Jamalpur 225 MLD and Balloke 60 MLD), rehabilitation of existing STPs with a treatment capacity of 418 MLD, two Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) for treatment of 6 MLD wastewater from two dairy complex in Tajpur and Haibowal, six intermediate pumping stations, laying of 10-km pipeline and 10 years of operation and maintenance of entire infrastructure has been kick-started on war-footing which would be over by December 2022. He assured the Ludhiana residents every soon, the Budha Dariya would have a neat and clean look with fresh water and beautification of embankments. Ashu said that cleaning of around 14-kilometer long stretch of Budha Dariya is one of the ambitious projects of the Capt Amarinder Singh led Punjab government and would leave no stone unturned to make this reality. He also asserted that this project is being carried out in a transparent manner and not even a single penny of the public funds to be used for this project would be misused at any cost. (editor@dailyworld.in)