Residents of Anuppanadi – living in the area near Chinnakanmai – who had come to submit a petition to the Collector staged a novel demonstration on the Collectorate premises on Monday.
Five men from the area, who had smeared mud and slush on their clothes, raised slogans and held placards, claiming that a private firm had been causing water scarcity and pollution in their area.
The Chinnakanmai tank, spread over 200 acres, presently houses 500 families in housing board apartments built on over 150 acres.
A private firm which occupied about 20 acres of the tank bed had been drilling deep bores, leading to depletion of water table in the area, councillor of ward 57 G. Kather Ammal, who had led the group to the Collectorate, pointed out.
“The firm has drilled around five to six bores of 1,000 feet depth which has reduced the water table in the surrounding areas to more than 800 feet in the last few months,” alleged Ms.Kather Ammal.
Alleging that the work being carried out by the firm had left a large residue of sand and dust on the roads, the residents claimed that the dust with everyday movement of vehicles had polluted the area. “Most of us here have been suffering from respiratory problems and our children are finding it tough as well. We have requested in our petition stoppage of such activities in the midst of a residential area,” said G. Ganesan, a resident of the area.
