Demand for closure of dyeing units

Tirupati: Demanding closure of machine dyeing units for causing pollution, people from Nagari area including weavers staged a dharna, under the banner of CPI-M, at the AP Pollution Control Board Regional Office here on Saturday. Speaking on the occasion, CPM district secretary K Kumar Reddy and party district secretariat member V Nagaraj said the machine dyeing units from Tamil Nadu, which were functioning in Nagari, turned as a major health hazard with the effluents from these units polluting the ground water beyond danger level.

People in Nagari area were suffering from skin, kidney and other diseases due to the pollution of water bodies including streams, tanks and also the ground water, they added. aUnfortunately, despite several representations and protests by the affected people, none of the government agencies, including Municipality Public Health and AP Pollution Control Board, have taken action against the pollutant TN dyeing units.

Instead of taking stern measures against the errant dyeing units, the authorities were indulging in passing on the buck, they said. They alleged that the Pollution Control Board officials were silent on the issue by taking bribes from the owners of the machine dying units even after fully aware that the locals of the pollution-affected areas in Nagari Municipality were suffering.

They said that an ETP (Effluent Treatment Plan) set up with an outlay of Rs 14 crore was remaining idle with the officials’ delaying the commission of the plant, adding more to the misery of the people.