TIRUNELVELI: Students of the Seelaaththikulam panchayat school on Wednesday boycotted classes demanding closure of a local fish processing unit. The parents of 382 children kept their wards away from school to press the demand.

The private fish drying and pulverising unit was established in 2002, ignoring resistance from the locals who feared environment and ground water pollution.

"When the unit started production, all our apprehensions came true. The smell emanating from the drying of fish and during processing is intolerable. Complaints of vomiting and nausea are common. The waste is not properly handled and pollutes the ground water," president of Kumbikulam panchayat E. Venugopal told The Hindu .

Villagers and teachers agree. "Though several petitions were forwarded to the district administration and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, nothing has been done. We have decided not to send our children to school till our demands are met. If the official machinery continues to ignore our demands, buses to Seelaaththikulam will be detained from July 13," a villager said.

"... This is our final struggle against a manufacturing unit that has created hell around us," said another villager.

Many of the villagers are beedi rollers, who work in the yards outside their houses. The nasty smell forces them to remain inside.

Revenue officials of Radhapuram taluk have informed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officials here about the struggle. "I am visiting the village and the manufacturing unit on Thursday to assess the situation," said TNPCB engineer Babu Ramanathan.

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