Hundreds of residents belonging to several villages in Agaram panchayat near Anaicut on Sunday staged a road roko on the Anaicut-Odukathur Road, demanding closure of a private leather company in the area.
The residents gathered around 12 noon and raised slogans. They alleged that the effluents from the new company, functioning for the past 15 days, would contaminate the ground water level in the area. They also complained that the effluents could also get mixed with Agaram river and affect agricultural fields and pollute the environment.
The protest was led by Agaram panchayat chairperson Jayanthi Mala. Ambur DSP Vijayakumar and Veppangkuppam police arrived on the spot and pacified the agitators. They also assured that they would look into the matter. Following this, the road roko was withdrawn. However, traffic along the Anaicut-Odukathur road was affected for more than an hour.