Resentment among the public against the proposed 3-million-tonne-per-annum (TPA) cement plant of JK Cement Limited at Maiserkhana village on the Bathinda-Mansa road is growing, with some panchayats passing resolutions against the project.The opposition comes five days after a public hearing conducted by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) at the proposed plant site. During the hearing, residents from nearby villages and environmental activists strongly objected to the project, claiming that it falls in the red category and could lead to air and water pollution in the area.Gurwinder Singh, sarpanch of Yatri village, said the proposed plant would be located barely one-km from the village’s residential area. “We are concerned about our health and other issues. Therefore, the panchayat and local residents have passed a resolution against the project,” he said.The panchayats of Manak Khana and Ramgarh Bhunder villages have also passed resolutions opposing the cement plant. Sources said some other panchayats were in the process of passing similar resolutions and submitting them to the Deputy Commissioner. However, they claimed that the administration was occupied due to the Chief Minister’s scheduled visit to Bathinda and Mansa districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.Resham Singh, district general secretary of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), said residents of Maiserkhana, Bhai Bakhtaur and Yatri villages had unanimously decided not to allow the project.Sukhveer Kaur, sarpanch of Maiserkhana village, said the villagers had strongly opposed the project during the PPCB hearing. “This plant will not be allowed to come up here,” she said.AAP MLA from Maur, Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana, said the state government was encouraging industrial growth to generate employment opportunities. However, he maintained that such projects would be allowed only in accordance with the law and after all mandatory conditions were fulfilled. He added that neither the panchayats nor any public group had approached him on the issue so far.Some residents pointed out that the proposed plant site, spread over 26.79 hectares, is located near the historic Durga Mata Temple at Maiserkhana, where lakhs of devotees come during the Navratra festival every year.