Atleast a dozen villagers from across Amloh sub-divison on Monday started the first day of their strike demanding the government to withdraw its decision of setting up a distillery adjacent to a sugar mill in Kumbhra village here.
Holding the protest near the main gate of the sugar mill, they threatened to intensify the stir if the state did not withdraw its decision, in the interest of the public and the environment.
They claimed that the factory to be set up in an area of 12-km radius would pollute the environment and pose health hazards to those living around.
Setting up the factory will affect soil fertility and the water table of the area, they said.
On September 1, leaders from various political outfits -Congress MLA Kaka Randeep Singh, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee member Ravinder Singh Khalsa, leaders of Bahujan Samaj Party, Communist Party of India and Bharti Kissan Union -joined the villagers in blocking the Khanna-Amloh state highway over the issue.
However, factory manager Harish Pahwa maintained that the distillery would create no such threat and that the protesters were misguiding the public.
{{/usCountry}}However, factory manager Harish Pahwa maintained that the distillery would create no such threat and that the protesters were misguiding the public.
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