For the last eight months the plant has not been put to test as sewerage is not reaching the plant. As the railways is yet to start work, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) alleged that work would be delayed as during monsoon it would not be possible to lay pipes. Meanwhile, the Citizens Welfare Federation has threatened to move court if the plant is not made functional at the earliest.

In absence of functional sewerage line, the entire sewerage of Mohali is dumped into N-choe, resulting into inconvenience to the residents. While GMADA completed the work on 10-MGD sewerage treatment plant that is going to be cost around Rs 26 crores some eight months back, sewerage is continue to flow into the N-Choe as a 50-meter stretch owned by railways is yet to be laid.

On maps N-choe is a seasonal nullah, but due to throwing of sewerage it has now turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Foul smell emanating from the nullah has made life hell for residents.

BS Tej, president, Citizens Welfare Federation, who had started a crusade to save the nullah from being contaminated by sewerage water, bio-waste and industrial pollutants in 2001, said that even directions from Punjab and Haryana High Court have failed to move authorities concerned to do the needful.

Expressing his anguish on official apathy, Tej said that sewerage from Chandigarh and Mohali was continuously being thrown into the nullah, affecting around 50,000 residents. Ranjivan Singh, member of Citizen Welfare Council, Phase X, said, “Pollution starts from Sector 10 in Chandigarh after which sewerage and other wastes from areas like Sector 17, Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 23 are thrown into the nullah making the situation worse. He said that in Mohali, sewerage from Phase II, Phase IIIA, Phase VIII to Phase XI is dumped into the nullah before it flows into Ghaggar.”

Tej said that despite approaching the then railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, the ministry was yet to start work to lay pipes. “If nothing happened then we would approach the court on the issue as authorities have failed to do the needful,” he said. According to GMADA officials, the plant is not functioning due to delay on the part of railway authorities. They said a sum of Rs 4.68 crore was paid to the railways a year back for laying the pipeline under the railway tracks, but the work was not done.

GMADA has also completed the work to lay outfall sewer from sectors 76 to 80, while work on sectors 80-81 would be completed in two months. Officials said that the court had directed to complete work at the earliest but it could not happen due to lax attitude of railways.

Railway authorities said tenders had been allotted and material was reaching the site, but a visit to the place revealed that no material had reached there. “As rains have started, work is going to be delayed further,” said GMADA chief engineer Rajiv Moudgil.