INDUSTRIAL towns with a high growth and, therefore, high pollution potential will come in for special attention from the Punjab Pollution Control Board, under a new initiative to deal with pollution in the state. Amritsar, Batala, Gobindgarh Mandi, Jalandhar, Khanna, Ludhiana, Nangla and Phagwara have already been earmarked by the board as the most polluted areas in the state.

The board has also identified more than 6,200 water-polluting and 3,500 air-polluting industries. It will file cases in court against 16 industrial units on grounds of water pollution. Also on the anvil are 24 monitoring stations to measure the level of noise in heavily populated and industrial areas.