ERODE: Farmers and social activists demanded permanent closure of a private steel plant that polluted the pond near Perundurai even as the management of the plant is engaged in cleaning the pond.RS Mugilan, Coordinator of Tamil Nadu Environment Protection Movement, said, “When it rained last week, the steel plant operating in the SIPCOT campus released untreated chemical effluent. As a result, the Senkulam, a pond near the SIPCOT, has been polluted. The water in the pond has turned red. During the rains, the pond overflowed and water entered the nearby farmlands. Many cattle that drank the water fell sick or died The steel plant responsible for this should be shut permanently, and compensation should be given to the affected farmers.”
P Tamilselvan, a farmer from Chennimalai, said, “The plant’s untreated sewage mixed with rainwater entered about 200 acres of agricultural land. Senkulam is completely polluted because of which the quality of ground water also goes down. The environment minister inspected the affected pond and farmlands. Strict action should be taken against the plant, and adequate compensation should be given to to farmers.”
Officials from the TNPCB of Erode said, “The power supply to the plant has been disconnected. The steel plant is now non-functional. On November 26, Minister S Muthuswamy inspected it. Now, the management of the plant is engaged in cleaning the pond. For this, they have consulted companies like Indian Oil Corporation. The public is also involved. After this, the relief for the farmers is likely to be discussed. Further action on it will be discussed later.”