Former workers of thermometer factory, which was owned by Hindustan Unilever, appealed to the Kodaikanal Municipality and Pollution Control Board to stop all on going repair works, including soil remediation, on the factory premises here on Wednesday.
In a letter to the Chairman, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Tamil Nadu Alliance Against Mercury members said that some works had been undertaken at the mercury hazardous site of the factory for the past two weeks.
More than 25 workers had been working at the site. Already septic tanks and effluent treatment tanks had been demolished for reconstruction.
They also alleged that some soil from the mercury contaminated hotspot had been removed.
Permission must
They appealed that any reconstruction at the site should be done with due permission from the TNPCB and in the presence of TNPCB officials and Local Area Environment Committee only.
They also informed the municipality that certain structures had been removed and replaced with new ones.
They wanted to know whether the factory management obtained prior permission from it.
When contacted, Kodaikanal Municipal Chairman M. Sridhar said that an old tree fell on the factory in recent showers damaging the asbestos roof.
Inspected
They had removed the damaged roof and replaced it. Municipal officials had inspected the factory site and advised them not to undertake any other work.
Meanwhile, a meeting would be convened next week on removal of wastes. The district-level officers would finalise procedures and work to be undertaken, he added.
“Some works have been undertaken at the mercury hazardous site of the factory for the past two weeks”
