COIMBATORE: In a joint protest, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadres courted arrest, raising objections to the lack of a common effluent treatment plant at the Perundurai SIPCOT industrial estate in Erode on Friday.
The BJP had announced a hunger protest in front of SIPCOT to highlight the pollution caused by the lack of a treatment plant; however, the police denied permission. Yet, defying the ban, BJP workers led by Perundurai town BJP president Poorna Chandran gathered for the protest, and they were joined by Perundurai AIADMK MLA S Jayakumar with party cadre.
The agitators recalled the State government’s assurance to build a common effluent treatment plant at SIPCOT at an estimated cost of Rs 136 crore to treat wastewater discharged from the industrial estate. However, the project did not come up even after four years of DMK rule; they rued
Highlighting their plight, the residents from nearby areas, along with public welfare organisations, had raised the issue several times and submitted repeated petitions to the state government demanding immediate action.
The AIADMK MLA, along with other party functionaries, participated and raised slogans against the state government.
The police then detained the MLA and 74 others, including eight women. They all were all taken to a private marriage hall in Perundurai and released later in the day. The incident triggered mild tension in the area.