The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the district administration's drive against unauthorised dyeing units continued on Saturday as 21 such units at Pallipalayam and nearby areas were demolished. District Environmental Engineer K. Gokuldas told The Hindu that the drive began at 10.30 a.m. and went on till around 7 p.m.
The dyeing equipment that were demolished using earth movers included 13 winches, five jiggers and 145 concrete tanks used for manual dyeing at Samayasangili, Avathipalayam, Kaliyanur Road, Thilangadu, Manalmedu and Nehru Nagar in Pallipalayam town. A couple of units did not have winches or jiggers but had 40 to 50 cement tanks under one roof, he said.
President of the Pallipalayam Small Scale Dyeing Association P.S. Kandasamy, when contacted, hailed the action taken by the Board and the district administration. Mr. Kandasamy, however, felt that the small cement tanks used for manual dyeing could have been spared by giving extension till they got permission as assured by Revenue Minister P. Thangamani.
Talking about mushrooming of unauthorised dyeing units despite efforts taken by TNPCB to evict them, he cited the unexpectedly high rents given by the dyeing units from Tirupur as the attraction for which the farmers and landlords here yielded. They were ready to pay a monthly rent of Rs. 10,000 for 2,000 sq.ft. of land which was much more than a farmer would earn through agricultural activities throughout the year. The unit owners were on the lookout for such small pieces of land with water and electricity facilities and were even ready to setup temporary sheds to run the units, he added.
Tiruchengode Revenue Division Officer C. Thangavel, police and officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, Revenue and other departments were also present during the eviction drive. The officials said that there was no resistance from the owners.
