CHENNAI: Following the hospitalisation of more than 50 people, who experienced suffocation and other ailments due to the ammonia gas leak on Wednesday, over 150 people from Periyakuppam in Ennore continued their protest outside Coromandel International Limited for the second day on Thursday.
With four more being hospitalised for breathing trouble on Thursday, the number of patients has crossed 60. The protestors said that residents of 40 villages in Ennore Kathivakkam are forced to live in an environment that is becoming unfit for habitation due to industrialisation.
According to them, the construction of the plant, initially called EID Parry Limited, was started in 1960 and the fertiliser production began in 1963. The population of Ennore Kathivakkam then was around 10,500 which has now crossed 50,000. Over the years, the residents have been complaining of irritation in their eyes and breathing difficulty, allegedly from living near the plant.
D Raja (61), a resident of Periyakuppam, told TNIE, “In the 1990s, an elderly woman died after being exposed to chemicals from the plant. Following this, we staged a protest and 57 people, including me, were booked. The cases went on for years, preventing us from taking up any further protests.”
However, the “fear of death” caused by the ammonia gas leak strengthened their resolve to resume the protest. “We are holding a peaceful stir, upholding our right to breathe without fear, so that our children won’t have to live in the same polluted environment. The government has to consider the surge in population here and shut down the facility permanently,” said Thilaga, a resident. A committee consisting of members from 40 villages will be formed to guide the protesters, he added.
S Gomathi, councillor of Ward 2 in Tiruvottiyur zone, said a resolution has been passed seeking to shut down the company and it will be sent to the government as a recommendation. Meanwhile, the villagers conducted a brief road roko alleging that a private hospital refused to treat some of the residents saying they have diabetes and high blood pressure. The matter was soon resolved.