ERODE: Pollution once again dominated the farmers grievances meeting held here on Friday. This time it was the death of fish in large numbers at Kuranganpallam Odai at Ezhumathur and neighbouring villages. Farmers blamed a sugar factory in the vicinity and said it had a few days ago let out untreated effluents into the Odai, which led to the fish death. They asked the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board officials what action they had initiated against the sugar factory. Stopped The officials responded saying that the factory had stopped crushing cane much prior to the alleged effluent discharge and said the rains that hit the area gathered the waste from the sugar factory premises and entered the Odai. Farmers refused to buy the argument and urged the district administration to look into the issue. Another farmer said within minutes of his calling the Board officials to register a complaint, he received a call from the very industry against which he complained, and asked what sort of work the TNPCB was into. In response to this, the Board officials said that they had closed seven tanneries, 139 dyeing units, 86 bleaching units and a few others. They maintained that they had in all closed 295 industries in the past. The officials added that their action against the erring units would continue. The second issue that dominated the meeting was the shortage of fertilisers. Farmers activist Kannaian said cultivators in Thalavady and neighbouring hill areas suffered because of the shortage of fertilizers. He urged the Cooperative Department to take into account the area under cultivation in a locality before despatching fertilisers. Farmers in other parts of the district also complained of inadequate stock of fertilizers at primary agriculture cooperative banks. Joint Registrar of Cooperatives promised to look into the issue. President of the Kalingarayan Farmers