Villagers petition against proposal to set up tar plant near Pernambut

VELLORE: More than 150 residents from three villages and 8 hamlets, 14 km from Pernambut arrived at the Vellore Collectorate and handed over a petition demanding that the district administration scrap plans to set up a tar manufacturing plant in their vicinity on Monday. Interacting with the media, villagers said they were worried about the proposed move, as such a plant if allowed to function would affect the health of all residents in the area in addition to contaminating the drinking water sources in the area.

They said efforts to set up similar plants in other areas had resulted in the move being scrapped after local villagers fearing the plant’s harmful effects agitated. Asked what they would do if the plant was set up, irate villages said they would take up a major agitation till the plant was scrapped. They later handed over a petition on the issue to Collector Kumaravel Pandian and left.