Companies actively polluting environment in SIPCOT: Report

Chennai, Sep 27 (UNI) Leading companies in SIPCOT Complex Cuddalore are actively letting out certain chemical wastes, both in air and water, making the environment more hazardous for the villagers to live, a report released by an expert panel today said.

Addressing a press conference here today, the expert panel comprising Queen Mary's College Department of Sociology Head Prof R Saraswathi (Retd), Madras Institute of Developmental Studies Prof S Janakrajan and Chennai Community Health Cell Public Health Specialist Dr Rakhal Gaithonde urged the Tamil Nadu Government to prevent the Chemplast PVC Factory, SIMA Textile Park and Nagarjuna Petroleum Refinery at SIPCOT Complex Cuddalore.

The panel, which conducted a study and a public hearing at SIPCOT Complex on pollution and water level depletion, said the toxic level in both water and air was high in the area and the place had become a hell for the villagers to live.

'' The area has become a pollution hot spot and the government is systematically targetting Cuddalore for setting up highly toxic and polluting industries. The livelihood of the villagers has been badly affected by these polluting industries. The ecology is completely destroyed and the water level is depleting as these industries draw a huge amount of ground water for their industrial needs and let out waste water with out properly treating it'', they added.

They urged the government to give up its plan of sanctioning&setting up more industries in the area as the area had no more capacity to withstand environmental pollution.

''There is adequate shortage of drinking water in the area right now and if the SIMA Textile Park was set up, the situation would turn even worse as the park would draw 11 million litres of water, resulting in depletion of water level'', they pointed out.

Criticising Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for its laxity in monitoring the already established chemical industries, they said the Governemnt by promising sustainable development for the villagers had actually destroyed their livelihood. Not a single village community had benefited from setting up of Industries in the area.

The companies mentioned in the report mainly include Tagros Chemicals, Victory Chemicals, Shasun Drugs and Chemicals Limited and Asian Paints.

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