A team of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board personnel on Wednesday removed nine illegal dyeing units that were polluting River Cauvery near Pallipalayam in Tiruchengode Taluk. District Environment Engineer K. Gokuladas who headed the drive, said that the units were evicted based on complaints received from residents of those localities stating that those units were polluting underground and river water.
Based on the Collector's instructions, the eviction drive was conducted from 9.30 in the morning to around 2 in the afternoon at Aavathipalayam on the Kaliyanur Road near Pallipalayam, on Wednesday. “A total 74 masonry (cement) tanks used for manual dyeing, 11 machineries such as jiggers and winches, six diesel generator sets and a boiler were demolished using an earth mover.
While the drive was smooth during the earlier part of the day, there was some resistance from the President of Aavathipalayam Panchayat and a small group of persons who accompanied him. The DEE said that they urged the TNPCB officials to stop the eviction drive and asked for more time to dismantle the units. The officials explained that such drives against polluting dyeing units have been carried out in that locality for about a year and added that there was no need to give them time to dismantle those units.
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The drive later continued without any interruption. Pollution Control Board Flying Squad (Erode) headed by its Environmental Engineer Ms. Vijayalakshmi and Police personnel of the Tiruchengode Sub-Division were present during the raid.