Kannigaipair Seafood Plant Evacuated for Ammonia Gas Removal After 18 Deaths
Tiruvallur district authorities declared a 500-metre radius around a private seafood processing plant in Kannigaipair village as a restricted zone ahead of a controlled ammonia removal operation scheduled for July 4 and 5. The safety exercise follows a June 21 ammonia leak at the facility that has killed 18 migrant workers.
To ensure public safety, authorities evacuated all occupants of private factories, shops, schools, and residential buildings within a 300-metre radius of the plant by 6 p.m. on Friday.
A team of technical experts will carry out the controlled removal of the ammonia gas stored at the facility. Tiruvallur District Collector S. Kavitha inspected the site on Friday and confirmed that preparatory work was underway, with an expert committee verifying the site and necessary equipment, including ambulances and fire services, being mobilised.
The operation is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. If the work is not completed on Saturday, it will resume at 8 a.m. the following day. Authorities stated that the operation will not continue after dark.
Traffic diversions will be enforced on the National Highway during the operation. Heavy and goods vehicles travelling from Uthukottai towards Janappanchathiram and Red Hills will be diverted at Soolaimeni Junction through SIPCOT, Kavarapettai, and Gummidipoondi. Government buses from Uthukottai to Red Hills will be rerouted via Vadamadurai Junction, Vengal, and Thamaraipakkam, while vehicles from Janappanchathiram to Periyapalayam and Uthukottai will go through Kavarapettai.
Multiple agencies are coordinating the operation, including the local police, Revenue Department, Fire and Rescue Services, Rural Development Department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), medical teams, and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health.
A control room has been set up at the Kannigaipair Revenue Inspector’s Office, and emergency medical camps with stationed health teams will be available for residents. The district administration advised residents to remain calm, instructing them to move upwind and cover their noses and mouths with a wet cloth in the event of any emergency.
