Cuddalore, 3 February 2006: Youth from Semmankuppam village in the SIPCOT area have written to the Cuddalore Panchayat Union Council, urging them to refuse any permission to the Company to construct in the proposed site. No construction can commence without permission from the Panchayat Union.
Youth members belonging to the Village Education & Health Improvement Centre, wrote this letter upon their return from a 1-day fact-finding visit to Mettur where Chemplast operates a PVC factory. Chemplast denies that there is any pollution in Mettur. But the fact-finding team from Cuddalore witnessed widespread pollution due to Chemplast. The youth group, in their letter, mentioned that effluents from the PVC plant in Mettur has destroyed the groundwater and agricultural land as far as 8 km from the plant site. They also mention that the health of the residents of Mettur has been severely affected because of the plant. Expressing concern that the residents of Semmankuppam will face a similar threat to their health, lives and livelihood, the group has urged the Panchayat Union Council to reject Chemplasts application and has also offered to make a detailed presentation of their first-hand experience from Mettur to the Council