Friday, March 16, 2007

when it comes to development, even articles that tout the development miss the core picture.

let's take hindu's article on tuticorin. the purpose of the article is to tell that tuticorin is a viable place for industry and the government should make more efforts for the same.

the example they quote is about sterlite copper smelter factory and the article says as
Over 30 per cent of Tuticorin's port facility is devoted to handling Sterlite's materials, 5 per cent of Tuticorin's population is `engaged with Sterlite,' according to company officials.

this factory belongs to vedanta group which has repeatedly violated human and environmental laws. their work in orissa was beyond any laws of the land. vedanta also has huge allegation of improper mining without permisison, pollution all over the place.

as per some reports, sterlite entire factory construction may be illegal.
The TNPCB remains highly inconsistent and arbitrary in the manner in which it applies the law. Tuticorin-based Sterlite Industries is operating an entire illegally constructed factory complex consisting of a 300,000 tonnes/year copper smelter, a 1,25,000 tonnes/year refiner, a power plant, an oxygen plant, and a Continuous Cast Rod unit.

But Sterlite is too well-connected to suffer Tagros' fate. Despite repeated emphasis by the SCMC that Sterlite has both illegally expanded and endangered the environment, the TNPCB and MoEF have regularised the violation.

and worst of all it seems to have a hugely disturbing safety record
Sterlite's Tuticorin smelter complex has a disturbing track record of safety. Between 1996 and 2004, at least 139 people have reportedly been injured and 13 have lost their lives in 15 incidents.

the government policies are so blind, when it comes to development, they have no clue on what industries to promote, where to promote and how to promote.

so only we have weird and dangerous examples of showcasing hazardous industries as the model of development in india.

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