Barmer/Balotra, Dec. 6 -- Barmer MP Ummedaram Beniwal has accused operators of the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and associated industrial units in the Balotra-Bithuja industrial area of collecting crores of rupees for wastewater treatment while leaving effluents largely untreated. Raising the matter during Zero Hour at the Lok Sabha, Beniwal said the CETP was established with a capacity of 18 MLD but has been operating for years at merely 3-4 MLD. He alleged that "the difference is being pocketed through fabricated expenditure records, turning CETP into a financial scam rather than an environmental protection system." Beniwal told the House that untreated industrial wastewater is being released directly into the Luni River, which has severely damaged soil fertility, contaminated groundwater, and devastated livelihoods of thousands of farmers across the region. He placed test findings on record showing extremely dangerous contamination levels, including TDS in the thousands of mg/L, chloride between 249-1502 mg/L, and lead detected at 0.53 mg/L. According to the MP, input-output records in the plant were missing or unclear, signalling attempts to hide the scale of misconduct. He criticised authorities for failing to enforce corrective action even after the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board imposed a Rs.50-lakh fine. He demanded an investigation by the ministry of environment and the ministry of agriculture to assess both pollution levels and the misuse of funds. He also sought a survey to evaluate crop losses and compensate affected farmers....