Day after 'aarti', MC puts one anti-smog gun to use

LUDHIANA: A day after former councillors of the Congress flagged the issue of anti-smog guns not being used by performing "aarti" on them, the MC made stop-gap arrangements to put one such machine to use. The machine, fitted on a four-wheeled platform, was loaded into the MC's truck and taken out on main roads of the city, including Hambran Road, Malhar Road, Ghumar Mandi and Sarabha Nagar. A generator and a water tank of 7,500 litre capacity were also loaded on the truck. Sources said that officials spent Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh to assemble this infrastructure on the truck.

Officials claimed that they had put one machine to use and if the others were to be pressed into service, they would have to be loaded on to trucks in the same manner.

Meanwhile, former councillor Mamta Ashu uploaded the video of an anti- smog gun on social media and claimed that if they had not flagged the issue, officials would not have used the machine on Saturday.  

A day after former councillors of the Congress flagged the issue of antismog guns not being used by performing “aarti” on them, the MC made stop-gap arrangements to put one such machine to use. Anti-smog guns were purchased under the national clean air programme (NCAP) to counter poor air quality seen at this time of the year.

They had purchased five big machines and two small ones for around Rs 1 crore. Sources said that even the principal secretary, local bodies department had asked officials to use the antismog guns.

On Friday, former councillors of the Congress, Iqbal Singh Sonu Diko and Raja Ghayal protested the MC’s failure to use the anti smog guns by lighting incense sticks before the anti-smog gun parked in the sub-office of the MC Zone C at Dholewal Chowk. Former councillors Baljinder Singh Bunty and Pankaj Sharma Kaka performed aarti of the anti-smog gun machines parked in the workshop on Harmbran Road.

After a video of former councillors performing aarti of these anti smog guns went viral, MC commissioner Sandeep Rishi sought an explanation from officials concerned and directed branch officials to start using the machines as soon as possible