Garbage dump protest: Vengathur residents lay siege to Collectorate

TIRUVALLUR: Tension prevailed in Vengathur on Monday when more than 100 people belonging to the 15th ward attempted to lay siege to the Collectorate and protested against the construction of a garbage dump in their area.

The protestors also demanded the Collector to declare their ward as a separate panchayat. Over 90 families with 2,000 residents stay in the housing unit area of Vengathur.

Two days ago, the residents surrounded five trucks that came to dump garbage and staged a protest demanding to stop turning their area into a dumpyard.

The protestors dispersed only after the authorities held talks with them and promised not to dump garbage there anymore. However, on Monday when they came to know about the municipality’s plans to build a dumping yard in their area, over 100 of them marched towards the Collectorate and attempted to lay siege to the building.

They also held several placards with their demands on it and raised slogans. When the security personnel tried to intervene, the protestors refused to leave without meeting the Collector.

Following this, they met Collector Dr Alby John Varghese and submitted a petition to him demanding that the construction of the dump yard plan should be dropped and that Vengathur should be declared as an independent panchayat.