The from last Friday's The Time of India: "Chilli Factory too hot for people of Virudhunagar"

"Troubled for years by red chilly fumes from a unit in the heart of the town, residents of Virudhunagar have finally manged to get the state government to consider closing down the private factory which extracts oil from red chillies...

"Based on complaints from residents that the unit was releasing pungent fumes into the air an doily effluents into the ground, turning drinking water red and even giving it the hot chilli flavour, the collector collected samples... and sent it for test to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board...

"The factory owners were not available for comment."

Just a couple observations from your dutiful blogger--

• The words "finally" and "consider" in the first paragraph are somewaht troubling, yet consistent with the pace of India.
• The phrase "oily effluent" is definitely troubling and should only be found in the fine print of a fat-burning pill's warnings.
• Just looking around, I can imagine the caseload at the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board is rather heavy. I'm not sure roasted chilli fumes are going to be a priority.
• The fact that the owners were not available for comment sounds rather typical... some things are the same the world over...
• And, finally--could this be the plotline we have ben waiting for? Is Julia Roberts available for Erin Brockovich II: The Case of the Red Chilly Blues"?