Probe on to find source of chemicals dumped in Bangalore

BANGALORE - Nine barrels filled with an unidentified chemical were found abandoned in a thickly populated area of Bangalore and police and pollution experts are probing the source, an official said Tuesday.

A leak of the chemical had left people in and around Sriramapura, about six km from the city centre, with burning sensation in the eyes. They were also hit by a foul smell.

Police search for the cause of the smell led them to the barrels at an isolated place along a railway track in Sriramapura Monday.

“We are testing the samples and only after the results can confirm which chemical it is,” M.S. Goudar, member-secretary of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board told IANS Tuesday.

He said there were nine barrels and a trailer which apparently transported them. The trailer had registration of Hassan, a district about 180 km from Bangalore.

The barrels bore the mark of an Israeli manufacturing company Dor. “We cannot say where the chemicals came from. The Hassan registration of the trailer should help in investigation,” Goudar said.

The barrels have been seized by the police who are coordinating with the pollution control board to investigate the incident.