The Hindu        25.08.2010

Water packets, soft drink bottles seized in Nellai

Staff Reporter

IN ACTION:Soft drink bottles and water pockets seized by Corporation officials in Tirunelveli on Tuesday.

TIRUNELVELI: Corporation officials seized Rs.30,000-worth soft drink bottles and water packets during the surprise check in a godown west of the Vaeinthaankulam new bus-stand on Tuesday, as the mandatory manufacturing details had not been printed on them.

According to Food Inspector A.R. Sankaralingam, who led the raid at Tirunelveli Junction bus stand, T.M. Road and Vasantha Nagar near the Vaeinthaankulam new bus stand, the water packets packed in 61 bags did not carry manufacturing details and the bags had been stacked near an open drainage channel.

The soft drink bottles, kept in 80 cases, were also confiscated, as they did not carry the mandatory manufacturing details.

When the officials conducted similar check at the Vaeinthaankulam bus stand on Monday evening, 1.50 kg adulterated tea was seized from one of the teashops.

“Since the adulterated tea is being manufactured and supplied by a Coimbatore-based company, we've initiated investigation into it,” said Mr. Sankaralingam. Food Inspector M. Kaliyandi and Sanitary Inspector Shahul Hameed were present.

The Times of India  24.08.2010

 CHENNAI: It is literally a mountain of garbage at Athipet in Ambattur where the heap of rubbish in the five-acre compost stands at over 50ft.

Unable to bear the foul smell and the menace of mosquitos and house flies caused by the dumping of garbage there, people living in about ten residential colonies around the compost yard are up in arms against the Ambattur municipality with the rain over the last couple of days turning the situation from bad to worse.

They want the municipality not to dump garbage there anymore and shift the compost yard from the area immediately.
With about 250 tonnes of garbage being dumped every day, the mountain' can be seen even from half a kilometre distance. The municipality has deployed three earthmovers at various levels of the 'mountain' that add to its height by transferring garbage brought in by lorries. One of the earthmovers keeps levelling the peak so that more rubbish can be heaped.

Many residents complained that the filthy smell emanating from the garbage was causing breathing problems, burning sensation and stomach ailments while mosquitoes were causing fever.

"We cannot put up with the situation anymore. We can't eat, sleep or even walk on the main road. We can't keep the doors and the windows open. Initially, the municipality told us it would be made a compost yard to facilitate safe disposal of garbage but now it is just garbage dumping yard and nothing more," said Tamil Kannan, a resident in Ayappakkam.

"Problems of house flies is another major issue. We can never leave the food open here because in no time flies begin feasting on it. People in Ayappakkam, TG Anna Nagar, Housing Board Colony, New Century Colony, ICF Colony, Gopalasamy Nagar and Athipet are the worst affected. Many people here have vacated their houses and some of them have even sold their properties because of the problems caused by the dumping yard," said Adhithyan, an office-goer who resides in Athipet.

Some of the youth associations in the locality are planning to stage a demonstration in front of the Ambattur municipality in a couple of weeks.

Municipal officials said five local bodies in the suburbs including Ambattur municipality had jointly bought 50 acres of land near Sriperumbudur to be used as a dumping yard. "Once we start using it, Athipet compost yard will be made into a garbage transfer station," a senior official in the municipality told The Times of India.