Kozhikode: Residents are set to resume protests against Fresh Cut Organics Pvt Ltd at Kattippara panchayat in Thamarassery. The decision comes after the high court extended an interim stay on a closure notice handed to the firm by Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB).The court allowed the functioning of the company till Aug 20, when the case will come up for hearing again.“We have decided to launch protests again. The district administration failed to submit the facts to the court. The official reached here for inspection three days after the flood water had subsided,” action committee member Thampi Parakandathil said.Earlier, the PCB had ordered the plant to shut down following intense public anger over allegations that raw chicken waste was being discharged into an adjacent residential area and a nearby river during heavy rains. The court then granted a temporary stay on PCB order after hearing a plea from the firm management.It directed an environmental engineer from PCB, alongside a designated official from the district-level facilitation and monitoring committee, to perform an immediate joint inspection of the plant premises.Locals said they are disappointed with the temporary legal reprieve.The management on Wednesday agreed to relocate the facility during talks with the district administrative officials, provided that suitable alternative land is identified within the district.
