Pollution scare: No more power cuts in Golden Temple vicinity

CHANDIGARH: With a view to protecting Golden Temple from pollution, Punjab government informed Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday that the state would provide uninterrupted power supply to commercial establishments in the vicinity of the temple. The government said that the move is aimed at preventing dependence of commercial establishments on alternative means of power like generators, which cause high levels of pollution.

Around Rs 32.40 crore would be spent by the state on the project and a 66KV station would be established for this purpose. This was stated by Punjab government before the high court in the wake of a public interest litigation, seeking directives to preserve gold plates fixed on domes of the gurdwara.

As of now, several steps have been taken by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Amritsar district authorities to preserve the Golden Temple, which include deployment of electrically-operated vehicles. District transport authority has also informed HC that they have issued a notification banning plying of more than 15-year-old vehicles in the vicinity of the Golden Temple.

Earlier, experts of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in an interim report, had submitted that the main building of historical Golden Temple is adversely affected by pollution caused due to industries, vehicles, generators, tandoor restaurants and stubble burning by farmers.

IIT was assigned the task of carrying out a study on the effect of environment pollution on the shrine. Experts had focused on a 10km radius around the Golden Temple to collect data about pollutants affecting the sheen of the structure. Taking up the interim report, the high court had asked the Punjab government to take action as per recommendations of IIT, and file a status report.