Blockade against urea unit: Udhayakumar, 200 villagers held

MADURAI: Police arrested AIADMK MLA and Deputy Leader of Opposition RB Udhayakumar and two hundred persons while staging a road blockade on Madurai bypass road at Kalligudi in Madurai district on Wednesday. They were protesting urging the need for closure of a private urea plant located at Avalsuranpatti in K Chennampatti village.

Udhayakumar, who led the protest, said many people living in several villages surrounding the plant raised concerns about groundwater and air pollution from the plant, which treats poultry waste, to produce fertilizers.

To stop the plant from functioning, a petition was submitted to the district administration on September 5 last year. Moreover, several people, except for a few, from six villages, under the limits of Kalligudi taluk, surrounding the plant, boycotted the Lok Sabha poll, as their demands seeking a permanent closure of the plant were unmet. Since the villagers boycotted polling, the district administration sought a report from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. However, the TNPCB in a report submitted to the district administration said there’s no such pollution as claimed by the villagers and the plant did not violate any procedures. But, the plant was shut temporarily.

Further, he said the plant served no purpose, as the rural areas did not witness economic growth and even there’s no employment for the local villagers. Schemes should be carried for the people, but not against their welfare.

When the DMK government launched an industrial estate at Sivarakottai in Tirumangalam against the interests of farmers, who knocked the doors of the court, the AIADMK stood in support of the farmers and protested with them. But, after the AIADMK came to power, a GO was issued banning the industrial estate, he said.