The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Budget mum on discharge of effluents

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Saturday, Mar 22, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Budget mum on discharge of effluents

Karthik Madhavan

ERODE: The State budget is silent on an issue concerning farmers, the textile industry and public here -- discharging textile and other industries’ effluents into the sea.

In May 2007, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had said in the Assembly that the government, to protect the Noyyal river and other water bodies, would consider a project to facilitate discharge of effluents from industries in Erode, Tirupur and Karur into the sea, provided the industries contributed to it.

Mr. Karunanidhi had said the Centre would contribute 25 per cent, and the State government 15 per cent, of the project cost of around Rs.700 crore. A year later, the budget makes no mention of the proposal, which has left many worried.

Head of the Noyyal Farmers’ Protection Committee V. K. Ganesan says the budget has killed the hopes the 2007 announcement kindled. According to him, one lakh acres that get water from the Noyyal have remained uncultivated for almost 10 years because of pollution.

Erode District Textiles Processors Association president P.K.N. Chandrasekaran said the Association’s hope that the budget would address the issue had been belied.

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