AAP’s lone Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, Balbir Singh Seechewal, questioned the point of him staying an MP if he cannot get the polluted Buddha Nullah cleaned.While addressing a gathering at Gyan Anjan Academy in Ludhiana on Thursday during the release of a book on Bhagat Puran Singh, Seechewal said, “If the Buddha Nullha is not cleaned, there is no point in remaining a Rajya Sabha member.”While Seechewal’s statement is not a formal announcement of resignation from the Rajya Sabha, it, however, does put the spotlight on why a cleanup effort championed by an MP from the ruling party has yet to resolve a persistent source of pollution in Punjab.The environmentalist’s remark reflects his frustration over a two-year effort to address pollution in a state governed by his own party. It also raises a wider question over the implementation of measures involving the municipal corporation and other agencies, despite repeated meetings, directions and action against those allegedly violating waste-disposal rules.Speaking to The Indian Express, Seechewal said that he took this work with lot of zeal but now facing hurdles and said “if I cannot do this I should not remain as MP”.Also Read | AAP’s ‘lone’ Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab: ‘They couldn’t dare ask me to switch’He pointed to the continued discharge of dairy waste into the the Nullah despite arrangements to collect and transport cattle dung from the city’s Tajpur Road and Haibowal dairy clusters, which together house around 38,000 cattle.The scale of the problem is substantial. Ludhiana Municipal Corporation Superintending Engineer Ekjot Singh said the two clusters generate around 500 tonnes of cattle waste daily, of which approximately 160 tonnes remains a disposal problem because some dairy owners do not hand over dung for collection and instead wash it away with water into drains.Story continues below this adThe corporation has awarded a three-year contract, beginning in January, for collecting, transporting and disposing of cattle waste. The contract is worth around Rs 22 crore. However, officials have said that the collection system depends on dairy owners placing the dung outside their premises for the contractor to lift, a requirement that some have resisted. A similar standoff over collection arrangements was reported earlier this year.Seechewal said around 150 FIRs had been registered against those not complying with the waste-management requirements, but the problem persisted and enforcement was being intensified.The corporation is also examining water use at the dairies. Officials said owners had not installed water meters, making it difficult to assess consumption. Singh said washing dung away with water increased consumption and that handing it over for collection could help reduce this practice. The corporation is now planning enforcing compliance with the metering requirements.Also Read | Why an AAP MP’s anti-drugs campaign is turning heads in PunjabSources in the Municipal Corporation alleged that some dairy owners had the backing of local politicians who did not want Seechewal to get credit for cleaning the Buddha Nala. They alleged that some dairies were openly discharging waste through large pipes into drains.Story continues below this adDairy waste is not the only concern. Industrial discharge is another source of pollution, and proceedings relating to industrial discharge are pending before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Although some industrial wastewater is being discharged after treatment, the issue remains under scrutiny.