The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s drive against illegal dyeing units that discharge effluents into River Cauvery at Tiruchengode Taluk in Namakkal resumed on Wednesday. This was the first drive after a gap of more than four-and-a-half months. On Wednesday, 10 illegal dyeing units were removed at Aandikadu and Samayasangili villages near Pallipalayam. TNPCB officials told The Hindu that a total of 35 cement tanks used for manual dyeing and seven oil engines used for pumping water to these units were destroyed in the drive. A total of 210 dyeing units – 137 in and around Komarapalayam and 73 in Pallipalayam – were sealed with the help of Revenue Department officials and the Police during the last week of November and first week of December 2013. “But the owners of about 25 sealed units broke the government’s seal and started operating their units”, they said. A police case was registered against the owners of 15 units who broke the seal. “But this was not sufficient to curtail pollution of the river as more units were established in and around Pallipalayam and Komarapalayam. This has pushed us into a situation to resume the eviction drives”, the officials added. “The units that were evicted on Wednesday included three units whose seals were broken by the owners. The eviction drive will continue”, the officials said. District Environmental Engineer, TNPCB, M. Murugan said that they would soon be making a recommendation to the District Collector to order temporary closure of all the authorised dyeing units in the district till the Stanley Reservoir is opened for irrigation.