As villagers continue protest, fertiliser plant receives government nod to resume work after ammonia leak

Residents of 32 villages in Ennore protest against Coromandel International Limited, demanding permanent closure after ammonia leak.

Three days after an ammonia leak from the gas pipeline of Coromandel International Limited in Ennore, nearly 200 residents of Periyakuppam and Chinnakuppam villages continued to hold a demonstration in front of the company premises demanding its permanent closure. However, in a recent statement, the company said the government committee had given them the nod to begin operations.

In a show of strength, representatives from 32 villages in Ennore, who formed the Ennore People’s Protection Group on December 28 and took a resolution to get the unit permanently shut, will participate in a demonstration on Saturday. They have also planned to file an official complaint against the company.

The protestors said that when they had gathered in front of one of the company gates on Thursday, a few of the unit’s workers were taken in by police personnel through a back gate. When residents questioned the police about this, they were told that it was to carry out maintenance works. However, the protestors said this would hinder the ongoing case against the company. Further, a few residents had been informed that a police case might be filed against them for obstructing the entry of authorities.

Meanwhile, Coromandel International Limited said that the government committee, comprising experts from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, and the Central Leather Research Institute, has approved the emergency response actions carried out and had instructed it to resume operations after conducting necessary inspections and ensuring the safety of the ammonia pipeline and systems.

“The company wants to emphasise that the abnormalities in the ammonia unloading pipeline were well below hazardous levels and were quickly brought to zero by the automated trip interlocks and control systems. The committee also noted that Coromandel conducted a safety audit for the operating condition of the ammonia pipeline and obtained external certification from a certified inspection agency,” it said in the statement.

However, it is to be noted that more than three hours after the leak, the TNPCB’s inspection at the site showed that the ammonia level in the air was five times higher than the standard and ten times higher at sea. At the time of the leak, the levels could have been much higher, residents and activists say.