PERUMBAVOOR: Offering a ray of hope for the residents of Perumbavoor, the plywood manufacturers in the region have announced the formation of a new committee to keep a tab on the pollution caused by the companies.

The committee will study the cleanliness and hygiene amongst the plywood manufacturing units, said C K Abdul Majeed, general secretary, South Indian Plywood Manufacturers Association.

KOCHI: As the call against the industrial pollution caused by plywood factories strengthens, hundreds of people took part in a protest march to the District Collectorate on Monday.

The protest march, led by the Action Council for Environmental Protection, sought the cancellation of licences of the plywood manufacturing units in the worst polluted areas, a stop in approving licences to companies in residential areas, ban on the night-time functioning of the companies and raised various other demands. The march was inaugurated by social activist C R Neelakandan.

KOCHI: Rising levels of pollution caused by plywood manufacturing units in Kuttippadam village in Perumbavoor is slowly forcing the residents of the area to abandon their homes in search of a healthier place to live. The once-serene and peaceful neighbourhood of Kuttippadam, a village at Vengola Panchayat of Perumbavoor, is now a nightmare for its residents owing to the toxic fumes and waste water expelled by the 30-odd plywood factories in the area.

A significant provision for forests in this year's Union budget may turn out to be a case of missing the forest for the trees. Motivated by a desire to "protect the environment and to save wood,"

A CPWD proposal to ban use of timber in construction has generated friction between manufacturers of wood substitutes and plywood, with each side claiming their product is superior.