• He served the Indian Army in his heydays. Today he cannot stand straight and can barely walk without a walking stick. Hands, which used to wield artillery, cannot hold a glass of water or button his shirt. D V Singh, a 66-year-old retired army officer, is suffering from central neuro depression. He pronounces trichloroethylene (TCE) guilty for all his ills

• Chandra Prakash Varshney, 76 years old, recently suffered a heart attack. He is unable to walk for more than 10 minutes and suffers breathlessness. His survival kit is inhaler and medicines, which cost him Rs 500 per month. Another victim of TCE

• A P Sharma, an 80-year-old man, was in coma for three months. His daughter-in-law suffered headaches almost everyday. It reached a point when she had to be taken to Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. The Sharmas also blame TCE for their ailments.

There are many more in Mitra Nagar in Aligarh, whose lives have been ruined by tce. The chemical is used as cleansing agent by the city's lock and brass industry. The industry is a big revenue generator