Chennai, July 7 -- Chittar Chatiram, a quaint village comprising a few hamlets, on the banks of the Chittar river, in southern Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district, hides a dark history. In the 1990s, it was a hotbed for communal riots. Such was the frequency and ferocity of these clashes that residents of one of the hamlets, Karisal Kulam, chose to give up all their belongings and vacate the neighbourhood en masse in search of peace.

For more than two decades, Karisal Kulam remained a ghost hamlet. Not any longer. Villagers have slowly begun to return over the last two years.

The reason: an industrial park. It has sprung up at Gangaikondan, a town just across the river.

Companies like Tata Solar, Yokohama Tyres, Britannia Industries, Bos...