CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said the scrapping of a proposed textile park project near the Mattewara forest area in Ludhiana is the "most regressive and short sighted decision" by the AAP government.
Singh's reaction came after the Punjab government decided to scrap the proposed textile park project with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying no industrial unit will be set at the site near the Mattewara forest area.
The decision was taken by CM Mann following a meeting here with the members of Public Action Committee (PAC), an NGO which was spearheading a protest against the setting up of a mega integrated textile region and apparel park, citing environmental concerns given its proximity to Mattewara forest and Sutlej river.
The previous Amarinder Singh-led government had conceived the project in July 2020.
The project was mooted under the PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks (PM MITRA) scheme.
"You don't throw away the baby with the bath water," the Punjab Lok Congress leader said in a statement.
Questioning the diatribe launched against the project, he clarified that the textile park was not to come up within the Mattewara forest area as was being said, but outside it.
He claimed that all environmental concerns had been addressed according to the United Nations guidelines and only then the park was approved.
Singh regretted that the Aam Aadmi Party government, after initially deciding to go ahead with the project, had scrapped it, just because some people opposed it without any justification or without any technical and scientific knowledge about the environment.
The former CM said the Ludhiana Textile Park was one of the seven such parks coming up across the country.
"The proposed textile park was approved with the specific objective of sustainable industrialization that does not harm the environment according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9," he said.
He said with such an approach, no industrialization can take place in Punjab, which is already scarce of land.
"When Punjab is reeling under such a financial crisis and investments are not coming, such a regressive decision will further discourage the industry from coming here," Singh observed, adding that such a decision should not have been taken in a haste.
Moreover, he pointed out, the National Green Tribunal had already set up an expert committee to examine the project and objections raised from certain quarters.
He said the government should have waited for its (NGT) decision.
He also expressed surprise as to how Chief Minister Mann took a U-turn after supporting the project and even announced funds for further land acquisition.