Expressing concern over the delay in construction of Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) at Perundurai SIPCOT, the Perundurai SIPCOT Affected People’s Welfare Association has urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to intervene and ensure that the project is implemented as per the original tender conditions.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, association coordinator S. Chinnasamy said that G.O. No. 218 was issued on November 20, 2023, approving the CETP at an estimated cost of ₹40 crore. Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin later announced that the project would be completed within six to eight months. The project cost was subsequently revised to ₹136.76 crore, with the contractor mandated to construct and operate the CETP for five years. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the project at a function on June 11, 2025. However, no construction work has begun, causing frustration among local residents.
The association alleged that while seeking Consent to Establish (CTE) from the TNPCB, SIPCOT had diluted key technical specifications. The tender document specifies a water quality design parameter of up to 9,000 parts per million (PPM), whereas the CTE application reportedly mentions only 6,500 PPM. Equipment originally designed for 20 hours of daily operation is now being sought under a 24-hour model, and the mandated 5 tonne-per-hour (TPH) boiler is allegedly being replaced with a 2 TPH unit.
The association also claimed that the core purpose of the CETP is to extract and treat both the contaminated groundwater and the polluted effluent/leachate that flows into the Nalla Odai, before supplying the treated water back to industries for reuse. However, approval is now reportedly being sought only to treat the surface water flowing through the Nalla Odai. The association warned that such changes would defeat the very purpose of establishing the CETP and undermine the environmental restoration long expected by affected residents.
It urged the Chief Minister to intervene and make an announcement on the issue during his visit to Erode on November 26.
Published – November 22, 2025 07:27 pm IST
