A SIPCOT that can preserve and also change the fortunes of Melur 

The recent proposal by the Tamil Nadu government to start a SIPCOT industrial park in Melur has created unease among archaeologists, environmentalists and long-time residents of the area. The belt that lies adjacent to Sivaganga district has not just seen a flourishing megalithic culture for which evidences are being unearthed on a regular basis but has also found a mention during the period of later Pandyas.

In this region under three panchayats — Vanjinagaram, Buthamangalam and Kodukkampatti — lie few hundred acres of land that in government records have been classified as “tharisu’’ (barren land). For a long time, the people here who are primarily agriculturists have been using the “barren land” that is filled with numerous trees as a grazing ground for their cattle. This landscape has numerous shards of potsherds and evidence of burnt bricks. Early tools made of quartz have been discovered and if more research is done, environmentalists feel, some tools can even be traced to prehistoric time, thus revealing the presence of an ancient habitation.

The region, which in geographical parlance is called the Madurai block, the largest crustal block in south India, has large fault blocks that tell of huge tectonic activity.

This ‘tharisu’ land is now seeing numerous encroachments. A few years back, a portion of the land was cleared, a mango grove came up and some have even built houses. Villagers say during a recent ‘jamabandi’ it was brought to the notice of the administration and it was found that the person who cleared the land does not own a ‘patta.’

For Arumugam, a villager, encroachments can only be stopped if the industrial park is set up. Parthiban of Nellakundanpatti says in recent years many people have left this place as there has been no development. He says an industrial park will surely bring in employment for the village youth.

Udiappa Pillai, a retired teacher, says development should not be at the cost of destroying heritage. “The government should preserve what is being unearthed here. The Sivan Temple in Kallankad has inscriptions dating back to the Pandya period. But, sadly nothing has been done to preserve it,” he says.

For Senthil, a farmer, there is a fear as he wonders what units would be coming up in the industrial park. “We do not want industries that will pollute our waterbodies or our land,” he says. 

Conservation enthusiasts like Karthikeyan Parkavithai point out that within these areas there are rare trees like Kuruchi, Kaatu Kaththaari, Silai Vaagai and Sengkaththaari. It is also a good habitat for Sengkaanthal, the State Flower.

Activist Thamizhthaasn of Madurai Nature Cultural Foundation says, “Documentation should be done at the earliest of the native trees and remnants of history that are being discovered, so that it is saved for posterity.” During a day’s study at Alagunachiyamman sacred grove, which people say would also come under the proposed SIPCOT site, volunteers were able to sight slender loris, jungle cat, Indian hare and Bengal Monitor Lizard. Birds like Brahminy kite, spotted owl, red wattle lapwing, etc., were also documented.

Without destroying the fauna and flora, SIPCOT estate can be built around these trees, the habitat of these animals and birds. Environmentalists say the habitat would act as a green lung for the estate.

What villagers and conservationists want from the government is transparency. They want to know the measures that would be taken like setting up of an effluent treatment plant, etc., within the SIPCOT campus so that the vicinity remains undefiled, history is not lost and the ecosystem flourishes.

SIPCOT Managing Director K. Senthil Raj, while talking to The Hindu, allayed the fear of environmentalists and the villagers and said the SIPCOT estate to come up on 258 acres at Vanjinagaram would not just have internal development of infrastructure like street lights, roads and drainage, but development would also be at the external level with wider approach roads to the park and increased green cover along the roads.

Within the campus, the division of land parcels for each general engineering unit would not be less than one acre, he said, adding that these units would also have plantations around. The Open Space Reservation on the campus would have a green space.

“As per recent government norms, we will be going in for Tertiary Treatment Reverse Osmosis (TTRO) plants and there will be formation of treated wastewater reuse grid from the Sewage Treatment Plants already functioning in Madurai. Within the premises it would be mandatory for the units to set up R.O. and effluent treatment plants. This will ensure that no pollutants are discharged into any waterbodies or let out on the ground,” he added.

Along with TWAD Board there was a proposal for a combined drinking water supply project and this would not only help the units but also the residents in these areas, he said, adding that the process of allotment would begin within a few months and in a couple of years, the SPICOT would be functioning.

Published - November 07, 2024 08:41 pm IST