Public in the Annur area on Monday staged a road-blockade following the death of more than 180 goats that consumed stagnated water in a nearby pond, which according to them was polluted by discharge of industrial waste from a nearby private casting unit, also involved in manufacture of automobile chains.
The agitated public resorted to a stir for hours together since the evening demanding action against the particular industrial unit and also other units. The agitated public demanded immediate relief and compensation for the goats that died. According to police, death of nearly 180 goats was reported at Oraikkalpalayam, Ganeshapuram and Kunnathur in Annur police limits on Monday morning. Villagers alleged that the goats had consumed stagnated water in a nearby pond and accused the factory of having discharged polluted water into the pond.
Villagers said that not just the particular industrial unit alone, a number of casting units in the area were polluting the water bodies and ground water resources and they wanted immediate stringent pollution control measures to be initiated before the entire ground water table in the area gets polluted threatening human lives in the process.
As the villagers stood on the road with dead goats lying all over, the traffic on the Sathyamangalam – Coimbatore Road was blocked. However, the police managed to divert the traffic. Revenue officials, legislators from Mettuppalayam, Avanahsi, Inspector and other officials held talks with the villagers and assured that stringent action would be initiated against the particular unit as well as strict compliance to pollution control norms would be ensured. Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural, N. Kannan said that assurances were being given to the villagers and were waiting for the doctors to complete the post mortem to conclude the reasons for the en-masse death of goats so that further legal action could be initiated. Police reinforcements have been deployed in the area.
