Representatives of various political parties submit petition to Collector Demanding action against a private milk supplier’s processing unit for allegedly letting highly toxic and foul-smelling effluents into Nishabanadhi at Karivalamvanthanallur, representatives of various political parties jointly submitted a petition to District Collector R. Selvaraj on Monday during the weekly grievance day meeting. According to S.A. Muthuraj, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam’s Karivalamvanthanallur town secretary, Nishabanadhi, which was supplying drinking water to a few lakhs of population in this region, had been seriously polluted by the “milk processing unit’s untreated effluents.” “Since the effluents flowing from the milk processing unit for the past five years enter the river at a point where good number of infiltration wells has been sunk and the check-dam that was built across the river to recharge groundwater, drinking water being supplied in this region has been seriously polluted. The unbearable stench emanating from the chemical-mixed effluent has made the environment unfit for a healthy and peaceful living for the residents living around the milk processing unit,” said Mr. Muthuraj. He alleged that a huge pit that had been dug by the milk processing unit for dumping a portion of the effluents had become a breeding ground for the vectors that could spread contagious diseases in this region. Moreover, they could not keep the doors and windows of their houses open due to the foul smell even during power cuts. “Though they tried to bury this effluent-filled trench, it still remains a cause for worry due to the harmful waste matter lying beneath the thin layer of soil,” said P. Ayyanar of Thamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam. Communist Party of India’s M. Murugan, who accompanied the petitioners, said the encroachment made by the milk processing unit on the Nishabanadhi and also on a stream should be removed. “Our repeated appeals to the Revenue Inspector and the Village Administrative Officer in this connection have not evoked any response from them so far,” Mr. Murugan said. Explaining the unhygienic condition prevailing in their area, the petitioners have forwarded a copy of the appeal to the Chief Minister, Minister for Health and Minister for Agriculture.