Sengottaiyan asks govt. to rescind nod for dye factory on the banks of the Bhavani

AIADMK legislator urges government to cancel approval for dye factory near Bhavani river, raising concerns about water pollution.

AIADMK senior legislator K.A. Sengottaiyan on Monday urged the State government to rescind the approval given for setting up a dye factory close to the banks of the Bhavani.

Seeking a response on the floor of the Assembly, he said around 40 lakh people depended on the river for drinking water and setting up a dye factory would affect them.

Environment Minister Thangam Thennarasu agreed that the farmers associations had raised concerns. “The factory is set up 500 m from the bank. Farmers’ associations have raised a lot of objection to it. However, based on a report by the Erode Collector, the State government gave the nod on November 26, 2024 through the State Pollution Control Board. The farmers have said farmlands are being affected and have asked for cancellation of the nod.”

The Minister added: “The water required by the factory to function is 15.68 lakh litres a day...of which 15.23 lakh litres should be derived from recycling the waste water, and only 45,000 litres can be taken from the Bhavani. They do not have permission to just let out waste from the factory onto the farmlands. Cameras have been placed at 30 spots to monitor the effluent water treatment plant and upload the video online. The ‘consent to establish’ order has been given, and we will monitor the factory...if we detect any violations, necessary action will be taken.”

Former Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam asked why the work on the rail overbridge on Theni-Madurai National Highway had been progressing at a snail’s pace despite the tender being issued by the previous AIADMK government. Minister for Public Works E.V. Velu said: “We will take steps to write to the Union Minister and complete the work.”