Chennai: The operation to remove the last traces of ammonia from the private seafood processing unit at Kannigaipair village will continue on Monday after authorities were unable to complete the exercise on Sunday.The removal process began on Saturday, with a team of 15 experts evacuating a major portion of the ammonia from the plant’s storage tanks and transferring it to an ammonia bullet vehicle. However, officials said some ammonia remained trapped in the plant’s pipelines and valves. Since Saturday night, the residual ammonia has been condensed before being transferred into the tanks.Once the entire quantity is evacuated, the facility will be temporarily sealed. District Collector S Kavitha inspected the operation for the second consecutive day on Sunday. She said emergency response teams, including personnel from the fire and rescue services, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), and medical teams, were present during the operation.The ammonia removal exercise comes more than two weeks after the June 21 leak at the seafood processing unit, allegedly caused by industrial safety lapses, claimed 18 lives.
