CHENNAI: Residents of Tiruvottiyur and Manali continue to experience the pungent odour similar to that of LPG gas. The residents first complained of the odour 15 days ago. Now, a few schoolchildren have complained of eye irritation and workers near the Tiruvottiyur Market complained of breathlessness. It is, however, not clear whether this was caused by an alleged gas leak.
R Rajendran, resident of Pattinathar Kovil Street, said they are experiencing the odour for the last 15 days with brief intervals when it is completely gone. "On Monday noon, it was quite bad and garment workers in the area couldn't eat their lunch as they felt suffocated. I sent an e-mail to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), but got no response," he said.
GR Alfred Rupak, correspondent of St Antony's Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Jothi Nagar, said three schoolchildren complained of eye irritation and developed conjunctivitis. "The odour became worse at around 4 pm on Monday. I took the students to a doctor, but he wasn't sure whether the irritation was due to the gas as only three students were affected. But, I feel that was the case," he said.
Environment Minister V Siva Meyyanathan told The New Indian Express he would instruct TNTNPCB to intensify testing, detect the source and initiate appropriate action against erring companies.
Environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman alleged Manali industries are known polluters. "A report of stack emissions by Chennai Climate Action Group based on 2019 and 2020 TN PCB data revealed that Ennore-Manali industries either do not monitor and report emissions as required by law, or emit pollutants far in excess of permissible levels. Despite Manali’s notoriety as a gas chamber, TN PCB has failed to adequately regulate the industries," he said.
Meanwhile, TNTNPCB Chairman M Jayanthi said she would conduct an inspection of the areas and carry out further monitoring. Community Evironmental Monitoring, a local NGO, recorded testimonies of people reporting gas smell from at least 10 localities around petrochemical cluster in Manali.