SANGRUR, Aug. 21 -- The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has collected air, water and soil samples from Harp Chemicals Private Limited at Jahangir village in Dhuri after villagers alleged that the ethanol plant was causing water pollution. Rohit Singla, executive engineer, PPCB, Sangrur, said the department received a complaint from the office of the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Dhuri, following complaints by sarpanches of surrounding villages. A PPCB team visited the factory on Tuesday along with sarpanches from five villages and former village representatives. The team collected air, water and soil samples for testing. Singla said the report is expected in around 15 days. He said the department had also received a complaint in June regarding black-coloured water in a village, following which samples were collected. The report in that case is still under process. "The factory is inspected every three months," Singla said. A sarpanch from Badshahpur village alleged that the factory was causing pollution and injecting polluted water into the groundwater through borewells. He said residents of several villages had contacted them, prompting them to approach the SDM office and seek an urgent inspection. Pushpinder Singh, managing director of Harp Chemicals, termed the allegations baseless. He said the plant produces ethanol from corn and rice supplied by farmers. According to Singh, the grains are ground, mixed with water and cooked, after which the starch is converted into ethanol. The remaining fibre and protein are used to produce animal feed, he said. Singh said the process does not generate poisonous water or gas. He added that water used during production is treated at the plant's treatment facility and reused....