Iduvai villagers protest with cattle against dumping garbage

COIMBATORE: The people of Iduvai village held a waiting protest along with their cattle against the decision of Tirupur City Municipal Corporation to dump waste in their locality.

In the wake of persistent protests by people against dumping garbage in abandoned quarries in Mudalipalayam and Nallur villages, the civic body proposed to dump garbage in a site at Chinnakalipalayam in Iduvai Panchayat.

It, however triggered fresh protests with shops in Iduvai, 63 Velampalayam, Arumuthampalayam and Karaipudur panchayats shutting down shutters on October 28.

On Friday, a large number of villagers from these villages, including farmers, power loom weavers, resorted to a waiting protest near the site identified for dumping garbage in Chinnakalipalayam. They also took their cattle to the site and raised slogans in protest.

Meanwhile, officials from the corporation, police and revenue department arrived and held talks with the protesting villagers. As authorities refused to give an assurance, the villagers gathered on the four road junctions at 63 Velampalayam and squatted in protest. The police then detained the protestors in a marriage hall, before letting them go.

The villagers claimed that the land site identified for dumping garbage belongs to a temple, and not to the corporation. Dumping of around 750 tonnes of garbage generated in around 60 wards of the corporation may contaminate soil, pollute groundwater and air.