Cement plant plan faces protest in Bathinda village

Activists, farmers, and residents strongly opposed a proposed 3Mta JK Cement plant in Maiserkhana, Bathinda, during a public hearing organised by the Punjab Pollution Control Board.

Protesters challenged the project’s classification as a medium-pollution "orange" category industry, noting it violates a Supreme Court ruling that reclassified cement plants as high-pollution "red" category. Concerns were also raised regarding withheld environmental reports and potential groundwater depletion, marking the second major protest against such a facility in the region within a year.

Residents said the proposed plant would come up on 26.79ha and would be located barely 1km from the residential area of Yatri village, according to the Trubune.