Minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh on Monday said the Centre has approved a multi-crore bioremediation project to clean the highly polluted 'Budha Nullah' in Ludhiana.

Accompanied by Ludhiana MP and AICC spokesperson Manish Tewari, the minister who conducted a tour along the 'Budha Nullah' to have an on-the-spot assessment of its pollution said the government of India had approved a multi-crore Bioremediation project for the city, the first in the country in terms of its scale.

The project is a unique one and adopts the latest technology whose results would be visible within six to seven months of its launch, Ramesh said.

He said the water of the nullah after being treated will be fit for agricultural use. However, it will not be fit for human consumption, he clarified.

Talking to media persons, he said during his visit he had observed that most of the pollution in Budha Nullah had been caused by the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation while industry was also partially responsible.

About Genetically Modified (GM) foods, he said it was the best technology but needed to be used cautiously.