Carcass plant relocation faces strong opposition from villagers in Ludhiana

Ludhiana: Efforts to relocate Ludhiana's controversial carcass disposal plant have reached another dead end, as protests from multiple villages and political wrangling continue to stall the project despite a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order.
Built for an original cost of ₹8 crore at Noorpur village to process dead animals and curb open dumping near the Satluj river, the carcass utilisation plant has never gone into operation due to staunch opposition from local residents. Attempts to shift the facility to Garhi Fazal village also hit a wall, with the village panchayat submitting formal objections to the state govt, citing environmental and health risks. A multi-departmental team — including officials from the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (Glada), and the town planning and revenue departments — later visited the site and confirmed in their report that the gram panchayat remained firmly opposed to hosting the plant.
Caught Between Orders & Protests
The need for a regulated carcass disposal facility stems from an NGT directive that banned the dumping of dead animals in the hadda-rodi area located on the Satluj banks. Authorities were instructed to establish a formal processing plant to prevent further environmental degradation. Even though construction of the plant in Noorpur was completed in 2022, protests erupted even before its inauguration. Attempts by administrative officials to operationalise the plant faced stiff resistance from residents and farmer unions.
"The plant was started briefly under administrative pressure, but political intervention brought quict halt to the operations," said an official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He noted that former Ludhiana Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu had been instrumental in getting the plant locked after its trial run began. Search for alternatives proved futile. With the Noorpur standoff unresolved, authorities explored other options — including the Tajpur Road dumpsite and a site in Ladhowal — but failed to reach consensus in either case.
Now, the Punjab govt faces a difficult decision — whether to restart the plant at Noorpur in defiance of local opposition or to launch yet another search for a location that satisfies environmental requirements and community sentiment. For now, the ₹8 crore facility remains unused — a stark symbol of the state's struggle to balance environmental mandates with grassroots resistance and political pressure.