A new sewage treatment plant will soon be installed in the village of Ghazipur-Sanoli, as the municipal council of Zirakpur has initiated the process of allocating approximately 15 acres of land to the sewage board for the installation of a new treatment plant. Officials from the revenue department, in the presence of sewage board officials, have marked four acres of land after the construction of pillars. A treatment plant with a capacity of 22.5 MLD (Million Litres per Day) is planned to be set up here.According to information, after the construction of pillars by the sewage board, the work on the construction of the sewage treatment plant will commence in Gazipur-Sanoli village soon. Once completed, the sewage board will initiate the process of setting up the treatment plant. It is noteworthy that in the fiscal year 2013-14, the municipal council of Zirakpur established a sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 17.5 MLD in Singhpora village, addressing the increasing issue of sewage overflow. The then Akali-BJP government had proposed the installation of a new treatment plant to address future sewage overflow problems.
For this purpose, the municipal council, under the leadership of the then president Kulvinder Singh Sohi, allocated a sum of five crore rupees to the sewage board. However, due to delays in the board’s certification and later the change in administration with the Congress taking control, no concrete steps were taken by the municipal corporation to install the sewage treatment plant under the sewage board. It is also mentioned that during the Congress government’s tenure, when preparations were initiated by the sewage board and the municipal council to install a sewage treatment plant in Gazipur village, a legal obstacle was encountered, leading to a halt in the process. The location had to be changed to proceed with the plant installation. Afterward, a new site, 15 acres of land in Sanoli village, was selected for the sewage treatment plant.
It is informed that the municipal administration of Zirakpur has ample land along the jungle edge in the Peer Muchhala area where a sewage treatment plant could be installed. Therefore, local residents appeal to the administration to relocate the sewage treatment plant away from their valuable land, worth millions, to prevent a decrease in its value. Concerns have been raised by local farmers about the potential decrease in land value due to the installation of the sewage treatment plant. They argue that if a sewage treatment plant is established near their land, the value of their property may decrease, as such plants are not attractive to builders or developers. They suggest that the administration should consider alternative locations, such as the jungle edge in the Peer Muchhala area, where there is abundant land, for the installation of the sewage treatment plant. The Subdivisional Officer of the sewage board, Rakesh Kumar, mentioned that it has become challenging to assess the need for sewage treatment due to the lack of accurate information about the city’s population. According to sources, the city’s population is expected to reach up to 600,000. Currently, a sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 22.5 MLD is being installed, but until the completion of this plant, there will be a need for another treatment plant.