CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has formed a five-member technical team to investigate the pungent odour and suspected gas leak in Chennai's Tiruvottiyur and Manali regions.

Residents in these two areas have reported a strong odour and a probable gas leak, which has caused shortness of breath and skin irritation. Children who complained of eye problems and irritation were sent to the doctor. Manali is a petrochemical cluster with multiple enterprises, and social activists and environmentalists have often reminded the pollution control board and the Tamil Nadu government of the severe pollution caused by this industrial cluster.

The Tamil Nadu government formed a five-member technical committee that includes two ISRO scientists, Sivathanu Pillai and Gokul, an IIT Madras professor, S.M. Sivanagendra, an Alagappa College of Technology professor, and the Regional Director of the Central Pollution Control Board, H. D. Varalaxmi.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu, said in a Government order: "It is critical to conduct a thorough technical study as soon as possible  to protect people's health. The committee will inspect the area and provide the government with a thorough report by July 23. 

Notably, authorities from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) have conducted many field inspections and checks to determine the cause of the odour. 

The Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) has been sent with a notice regarding the intense smell and aroma that was causing irritation to the residents of the region. The TNPCB had asked the CPCL if the Sulphur content of the crude oil imported by the company was high, to which the CPCL had replied that it was normal.

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