Assured talks, dairy owners defer Hambran Road protest

Ludhiana: Dairy owners from Haibowal Dairy Complex deferred the protest they had planned over the next few days after civic officials called them for a meeting on Thursday to discuss the issues they face.

Sources said officials requested dairy owners not to go ahead with the protest on Wednesday in view of the Ludhiana visit of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.Dairy owners had said they would organise a demonstration on Hambran Road along with their cattle on Wednesday to flag the failure of the effluent treatment plant, which was unable to handle the load of wastewater from all dairies. They also said even cemented roads had developed potholes.Chairman of the Dairy Complex Haibowal Association, Paramjit Singh Bobby, said they hoped to get a chance to discuss the issues in detail with civic officials. He added that they would wait for a week for a resolution, after which they would launch a massive protest.Area councillor Indu Munish Shah said, “We will get the issue resolved, but due to excess water coming from dairy units, the effluent treatment plant is not able to take the load. The ETP is not functioning properly, and the main cause is poor processing of cow dung. An additional biogas plant is to be installed in this dairy complex, but nothing has happened till date.”A civic body official said they have asked dairy owners to install water meters to measure water consumption in their units. He added that the problem would be resolved only after the facts were verified.