THE Madras High Court has restrained Sri Padma Chemicals Private Limited in Choonambedu village in Kancheepuram district from dumping its chemical waste on the lands outside the factory premises. The First Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Prabha Sridevan gave the direction on Friday last, while passing interim orders on a public interest writ petition from K Umanath of Thothacherry village. The bench also ordered notice to the authorities concerned returnable by June 9, 2008. Government counsel contended that though the company was permitted to manufacture cooking salt, it produced chemical salt too. Chemical waste generated by the process carried highly polluted chemicals which affected environment, the ground water and the surrounding agricultural lands.