TIRUNELVELI: Idinthakarai residents spent a fearful, sleepless night after a pungent odour engulfed the entire village on Tuesday night.
The villagers were hit by an unbearable stench from around 9.45 pm onwards. Immediately, people came out of homes and wondered if any animal had died in the vicinity.
Some went to the streets and also to the nearby shore to check whether a large number of dead fish had washed ashore. Around 11 pm, the stench became unbearable and some people began to suffocate. Children began complaining of nausea and vomiting.
Unable to locate any dead animal or fishes, their attention turned to the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. Scores of people rushed to a church amid high tension, thinking their worst fears had come true and that the village will see a repeat of Fukushima disaster.
Sensing trouble, police and revenue officials rushed to the spot and assured the villagers that no odour would emanate from a nuclear power plant. Following that they launched an investigation to find out the source of the stench.
To everyone’s dismay, it came to light that the stench was emanating from a fish processing unit that was present between the Irukandthurai-Kanakarkulam panchayats, a good 12 km away from Idinthakarai.
Gunaseelan, an enviromental activist, said that till now the odour was only felt at Perumal village, but due to the change in the direction of the wind, residents of Idinthakarai suffered on Tuesday night.
As of now, only one plant is functioning and if the remaining two become functional (presently under-construction), people might have to actually vacate the village, he added.
Gunaseelan further said that recently a protest was held at Radhapuram, but the district administration did not take any action.