COIMBATORE: Villagers here gheraoed a foreign-based private company on Thursday morning, after it was found dumping its chemical waste and garbage along the Noyyal River in Iruguar panchayat on the outskirts of the city.
According to sources, locals impounded a tractor after the vehicle was found dumping plastic-mixed chemical and garbage generated at a private company on Wednesday. Along with three loads of garbage, huge quantity of sand was also dumped along the Noyyal river.
Subsequently, the vehicle and driver was handed over to Kanagaraj, Executive Officer, Iruguar Town Panchayat. During investigations, it was found that the address mentioned in the papers was that of a private company. Condemning the dumping incident, a large crowd of residents staged a stir, and demanded that the company stop dumping wastes along the Noyyal river.
“Representatives of the company accepted that the garbage belonged to them, and that they did not know how the garbage reached Noyyal river. They promised that such incidents would not occur in future,” said M Balasubramaniam, Councillor, Ward 3 of Irugur Panchayat.
The public pointed out that this is not a first such dumping incident along the Noyyal river. “Two months earlier, a large number of thermocol pieces were dumped by miscreants along the Noyyal river on the Ravthur to Sulur road, thus damaged the river’s environment and beauty,” said Balasubramaniam.