The Punjab police has widened its investigation into the alleged dumping of toxic waste into the Sirsa river system. Ropar police on Wednesday issued notices to junk dealers operating illegally in the riverbed of the Bhud rivulet, a tributary of the Sirsa river.Sources said the notices were served to scrap dealers operating from the riverbed in Nawanagar and Maddali villages located on the Himachal-Haryana border. The Bhud rivulet falls under the jurisdiction of Haryana’s Panchkula district, but is part of the larger Sirsa river catchment, which ultimately drains into the Sutlej river.Confirming the development, Ropar City SHO Pawan Kumar said all the junk dealers found operating inside the riverbed had been asked to join the investigation. “The investigation has started and all those served notices have been directed to join investigation in Ropar,” he said.The investigation has started on an FIR registered by the Ropar police on the complaint of AAP MLA Dinesh Chadha against unidentified industrial units allegedly responsible for polluting the Sirsa and Sutlej rivers. The FIR was lodged after large quantities of toxic industrial waste and floating garbage accumulated at the Ropar Headworks, triggering widespread concern over contamination of Punjab’s river and canal network.During a recent inspection, officials from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the police investigation team discovered multiple dumps of suspected toxic waste along the Bhud rivulet and other tributaries of the Sirsa river. The team also found biomedical waste, including used syringes, expired medicines and other hazardous materials, discarded in the rivulets.Officials suspect that during heavy rains and flash floods, the waste is washed into the Sirsa river before eventually reaching the Sutlej, posing a serious environmental and public health threat. Environmental studies have repeatedly highlighted pollution in the Sirsa and Sutlej rivers in Ropar district, from where contaminated water enters Punjab’s extensive canal network supplying irrigation and drinking water to large parts of the state.Speaking to The Tribune, MLA Dinesh Chadha said Panchkula Deputy Commissioner had informed him that directions had been issued to the district irrigation department to remove junk dealers operating illegally from rivulets in the area.Sources said the police are also likely to summon contractors associated with the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh as part of the probe. The CETP, located on the banks of the Sirsa river, has come under scrutiny following allegations that its malfunctioning infrastructure has contributed to the discharge of untreated industrial waste into the river.During inspections, the treatment plant was found to have several deficiencies. Investigators observed that key machinery was either non-functional or inadequately maintained. The boundary wall surrounding the facility was too low to contain large heaps of industrial waste stored within the premises.