CHENNAI: An area spanning 500-metre radius around the St Peter & Paul Sea Food Exports Private Limited seafood processing plant at Kannigaipair in Tiruvallur has been declared a restricted zone ahead of the safe removal of ammonia gas scheduled for July 4 and 5, said Collector S Kavitha on Thursday.
As a precautionary measure, all residents, workers in nearby private factories, shopkeepers and occupants of schools and houses located within a 300-metre radius of the plant will be evacuated to safer locations by 6 pm on July 3 (Friday). Traffic will also be diverted on July 4 and 5, with vehicles on National Highway 716 being diverted through alternate routes to avoid the restricted zone.
The operation will be carried out by a technical expert team with the support of the police, revenue department, fire and rescue services, rural development department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), health department and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health.
A control room has been set up at the Kannigaipair revenue inspector’s office. The public can contact 9952590412 for assistance in the event of an emergency.
The collector advised the public not to panic in the event of an ammonia leak and to immediately move to an upwind location. People have been asked to cover their nose and mouth with a wet cloth, walk crosswind to exit the affected area, and then proceed to an upwind location. She appealed to the public to cooperate with the authorities during the operation.
Annamalai seeks higher solatium
Chennai: We The Leaders founder K Annamalai on Thursday demanded higher compensation for the families of the 17 women killed in the ammonia gas leak in Tiruvallur, while calling for stricter enforcement of laws protecting inter-state migrant workers. In a statement, Annamalai said the state government’s compensation of Rs 2 lakh to each of the victim’s families is inadequate.
He compared it with the Rs 10 lakh compensation offered by the Odisha government. He alleged the tragedy exposed the poor implementation of the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979, which mandates the registration of establishments employing five or more inter-state migrant workers. He urged the state to adopt Kerala’s Athidhi app model to improve registration and welfare measures.
