CHENNAI: Around 1,700 licensed companies supplying packaged drinking water began an indefinite strike on Thursday after the Madras High Court directed the State to immediately close borewells from where some of these units are extracting groundwater without obtaining the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC).
Three major umbrella organisations - Greater Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association, Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association and Coimbatore Region Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association - have jointly announced the strike. J Anantha Narayanan, president, Greater Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association, told Express, “We have been demanding to frame new groundwater extraction guidelines for drinking water purposes. When we went on strike last time, the government assured us of framing guidelines, but nothing has happened so far.”
He agreed that around 1,250 units do not have NOC as they are unable to comply with the stipulated area-wise specifications. Now, by virtue of High Court order all these units are facing closure. The units that draw groundwater for commercial purpose have to get NOC from PWD, besides permission from Directorate of Food Safety and Drug Administration, and Directorate of Town and Country Planning after which they have to apply to TNPCB for necessary clearance.