The Sterlite plant is India’s second largest and the world’s seventh largest copper smelter, accounting for over one-third of India’s copper demands
The closure of Sterlite Copper, owned by the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta, in Tamil Nadu is an atrocious decision by an incompetent and myopic state government. There have been more than hints that the violent protest was instigated by anti-social elements, and yet the company has been made the scapegoat for the clumsiness of the administration and police which led to violence in which 13 people died. The entire episode raises four very important questions.
Copper is needed in fans, air-conditioners, power cables, etc. Can we live without fans, ACs, etc.? More importantly, do the activists, who are against all factories, live without such utilities?
First, while professional revolutionaries, anti-development activists, green terrorists, parlour pinks, and glib journalists are lambasting Sterlite, little is said about the murderous saboteurs who transformed a 99-day campaign into a bloody protest. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy told this writer that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam functionaries played the role of agent provocateurs in the May 22 firing. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami had also hinted on that day about “anti-social elements… instigating innocent people to pressure the government and give us a bad name.”
Whatever happened to the investigation into that aspect of the agitation? Why isn’t anybody talking about the criminals who incited a mob and triggered bloodshed? Why is everybody discussing only the alleged wrongdoings of Sterlite? Now the copper producer is not an exemplar of corporate India but its staff certainly didn’t kill the protestors.
Second, who will compensate for the huge employment loss? Who will take care of the economic implications? Sterlite employs 3,500 people in Tamil Nadu; then there are indirect jobs. The total job loss, both direct and indirect, is reported to be in the 26,000-50,000 range. A Sterlite engineer informed BBC Tamil that similar jobs in other copper plants in India are limited in number. “Many employees are in mental agony as they are all in a state of uncertainty,” he said.
Further, the Sterlite plant is India’s second largest and the world’s seventh largest copper smelter, accounting for over one-third of India’s copper demands. This would mean the shortage of copper in the downstream industries, higher prices for them and consumers, and imports, further worsening the current account deficit.
Thirdly, and this question should be aimed at the protestors and eco-nuts, should India shut down all industry because it, directly or indirectly, has an impact on the environment? Copper is needed in fans, air-conditioners, power cables, etc. Can we live without fans, ACs, etc.? More importantly, do the activists, who are against all factories, live without such utilities?
The claims of anti-Sterlite activists should not be taken at face value; these, along with their aims, should be thoroughly scrutinized. Lest we are ready to live in the Stone Age
Right now, I am sitting on a chair, in front of my PC writing this article. There is a table, a chair, a computer, a telephone; there is a bed, a cupboard, an air-conditioner, a book rack, and so on. There are myriad of things in my house, the manufacture of each of which must have had some implication on the environment. Then there is electricity, the production of which (especially in India since the biggest chunk is of thermal power) must have damaged the surroundings.
You move around in your locality. There are roads, cars, buses, trains, malls, shopping complexes, cinema halls, schools, colleges—indeed the entire the list of entities that make up our civilization. All of them came into being with some cost to the environment.
The point I am driving at is simple: the very existence of civilization is premised upon the change in the natural world. This means that it is impossible to have pristine surroundings and civilization at the same time.
So, if we accept the views of the activists opposing Sterlite and other industrial plants in toto, then we will have to go back in history, dismantle all hallmarks of progress, and proceed towards the Stone Age. For it was only in the Stone Age that man lived in complete harmony with nature. It is another matter that life in the state of nature was, as Hobbes put it, “poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
Finally, we must realize that the ultimate aim of green terrorists is the end of civilization. Sterlite is not a company that India Inc can be proud of. It was fined Rs 100 crore in the past for being negligent towards the environment. Perhaps, its focus on profit is at the expense of legal and social responsibilities. But this is not the reason they are against the copper plant; they are against it because it plays some role in economic development, something they are hate. This is the reason that they also oppose the Narmada and Tehri projects which are government-run.
In a nutshell, the claims of anti-Sterlite activists should not be taken at face value; these, along with their aims, should be thoroughly scrutinized. Lest we are ready to live in the Stone Age.
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus
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These are the same greenies that stopped/delayed the Sardar Sarovar project until PM Modi was elected and inaugurated it. The same people who prefer conversion and illiteracy compared to education and development. PM Modi needs another two terms to get these goons out of India.
We have to lose something to get something which is beneficial to more
The private sector is also to blame for lacking transparency in their activities. Why do they not conduct free public visits to the factory once a week or once a month for viewers to see the state of art plant & accordingly launch a counter campaign against these so called green brigade & prove that the technology used is latest & that they are taking all the precautions.
Invite technocrats & comment on what else they can do to improve the plant & surrounding ecosystem. Spend monies in developing some local parks or planting trees & maintaining them as part of confidence building mechanism.
You are misinformed. Sterlite management have stated that visitors are welcome once a week, go round the plant and get their doubts clarified with officials. None of th NGO heads, nor village reps ever visited the plant.
If a meeting is held with the reps of factory, NGOs, villagers, TN pollution board and Collector, truth will be known immediately.Let this meeting be transparent, so the country knows truth.In fact the worst polluting area is port area, where vessels pollute the sea. Why can’t govnt close the port ?
But environment is also important ,we can not breath, drink or eat development,
We should be careful to establish the factories ,they must be away from the natural water resources and should also away from the public residence but we don’t follow the rules and blamed public always,
Are you think only residence of Delhi have the right to live in safe environment rest of the India peoples are not the human.
Need a strong leader with a nationalistic view in TN. We did not a single leader in the past five decades.
If you are going to close Sterlite, You have to close all the factories in our country.
1. What about SPIC in Tuticorin, manufacturing chemicals and toxic fertilizers?
2. What about DCL in Athur?
3. What about Kudangulam, Kalpakkam, and other atomic power plants?
4. What about Cuddalore Pharmaceutical plants?
5. What about all cement plants in our country and also the mines?
6. What about the paint manufacturers in our country?
In one form or other the factories will produce pollution. When we want development, we have to loose some natures gifts. How many experts have visited these plants and given pollution clearance certificates?
Definitely as the author said, by momentary decisions like this, we will return to stone age.
Chandramouliji, Rather than lying in a 7 star luxurious state of the art hospital with lung cancer/heart ailments/diabetes, I think living in a stone age cottage breathing fresh air without ailments is much more preferable
I am not saying so. How come the Pollution control Board and other specialists have granted certificate to these companies every year. How come the specialists in Parliament and Rajya sabha have approved the plants installation. My point is that when other plants mentioned by me are allowed to function, why not sterlite run with proper arrangements and treatment plants to control the pollution. Do you mean to say that Oil refineries in the heart of chennai and also in Karikkal are pollution free?
Well said
yes, don’t crib in the future if the price of appliances using copper increases and be content with so called good percentage of clean air.
Yes. Mr. Kapoor, Man can live without Air Conditioners, Fans. But man cannot live without FRESH AIR.
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Below 21% oxygen in atmosphere keeps mankind in a state of perpetual ailment.
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None of the cities and towns in India today can claim to have healthy air & atmosphere.
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The copper plant was run by greedy criminals with least concern for our environment & soil health – in connivance with more greedy politicians
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Yourself have admitted the company was fined a billion for violations. If you analyze properly, this billion fine would have been imposed after environment, soil & water resources’ damage in trillions.
You are right Nagar, below 21% Oxygen in air is dangerous to the mankind. Most of our cities especialy Delhi and Chennai have the most polluted air. Most of this pollution is from Automobile exhaust. Should not we close all the Automobile Industries to keep our cities pollution free.
Yes. Automobile Industries should be closed totally but gradually. First private cars &: passenger vehicles run on hydrocarbon shall be banned. Next all public transport should be converted to solar/Gobar Gas’/electric. Simultaneously walking, cycling should be encouraged as per distance to be covered
Come on, get real. Fresh air does not come from Tuticorin only! The issue is of pollution and therefore proper controls must be initited by the government of the day. Corruption is the real cause that allows many anti-national elements to do the bidding of internal and external forces. The real sufferers are the people. After all copper smelting is also done elsewhere in the world and they are functioning within set guidelines. Why must India be different? Bloody greed and stupidity, a potent combination.
The hands behind the closure of this plant are to make India import copper heavily from other parts of the world. Other countries do not want India to be self reliant and start exporting to other countries. This is the ulterior motive. Throw some tit bits to these NGOs, they will be ready to do anything. Very unfortunate. I recall Medha Patkar’s Narmada andhlan.
The hands behind the closure of this plant are to make India import copper heavily from other parts of the world. Other countries do not want India to be self reliant and start exporting to other countries. This is the ulterior motive. Throw some tit bits to these NGOs, they will be ready to do anything. Very unfortunate. I recall Medha Patkar’s Narmada andhlan.
But why money are exchanged/ circulated to political parties instead used it to maintain air filtration and dumping of waste properly. Also do proper research on how cancer is rapidly increased with locals
The agitation itself was a result of Sterlite refusing to repeatedly bribe political parties and local goons who blackmailed the company of agitation and closure of plant in the non event of coughing up the bribe. So, much for the environmental concern of gullible public protesters who happily set fire to government offices and public vehicles. As if they were well informed green peace activists or some one who had care and concern for the environment. What about the pollution of Kaveri and Palar rivers by the textile dying units and leather tannery units with more potent and harmful chemicals that kill and maim more. Why not close those factories too? Lets not be naive. Partiality in environmental activism is a clear sign of break down of the bribe pact between Sterlite and the powers that be and let us not attribute it to any good Samaritan act or of benevolence by a socially concerned rampaging mob