Introduction.
1. After about 100 days of protest, demanding the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in Tuticorin, in Tamilnadu, protesters turned violent. They'd announced that they would take out a
march to the Tuticorin District Collectorate today. About 15,000 people had swarmed the streets
despite prohibitory orders which culminated in police firing and the death of 12 people.
Why the protests?
2. (a) The smelter which can produce 400,000 tons of Copper cathode a year, is controlled by
Vedanta Ltd, a majority owned subsidiary of the London-listed, Vedanta.
(b) The plant has been shut since 27 Mar when it was closed for a 15 day scheduled maintenance.
The company plans to double the capacity at the smelter to 800,000 tons/year.
(c) During the closure, the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board rejected Vedanta's licence to
operate the smelter saying that it had not complied with the local environmental laws. The
Board has accused Sterlite of dumping copper slag into a river and not furnishing reports of
groundwater analysis of bore wells, near the plant.
(d) Sterlite has challenged the step.
Is it a popular unrest?
3. (a) Residents have been demanding the closure for the past 100 days.
(b) An activist group has accused the Pollution Control Board of allowing the company to operate
its smelter with shorter chimney stacks, than permitted, which helped the company reduce
costs but harmed the environment.
4. And taking a head count of those who want the plant to run:-
(a) The Tuticorin Stevedores' Association, which handles manual cargo at the port, wants
resumption of copper production at the plant. It's the single largest private company handling a consistent annual volume of 38 lakh metric tons of cargo. The Association says that the
closure of the plant affects the livelihood of freight operators, drivers and workers in
related industries.
(b) The Chemical Industries Association and the Winding Wire Manufacturing Association
have also opposed the closure because it would adversely impact thousands of workers in the
small factories dependent on it.
5. So, it's not a popular unrest in the real sense.
And consider these points too.
6.. (a) Closure of the plant has led to a spike in copper prices.
(b) The plant has about a 35% share in the Indian primary copper market and exports mainly
to the Gulf and Asian countries.
My take.
A tragedy that could have been avoided if the parties concerned had exercised restraint and did not allow the matter to get out of hand.
Tailpiece.
It was Lekha's birthday today, by the Malayalam calendar. Had given her the card and wished her many happy returns before I set off for my morning walk and calls from the relatives kept coming. She'd gone to the temple along with Preetha and returned happy, because she had a good 'darshan'. The cake cutting followed.
1. After about 100 days of protest, demanding the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite Copper unit in Tuticorin, in Tamilnadu, protesters turned violent. They'd announced that they would take out a
march to the Tuticorin District Collectorate today. About 15,000 people had swarmed the streets
despite prohibitory orders which culminated in police firing and the death of 12 people.
Why the protests?
2. (a) The smelter which can produce 400,000 tons of Copper cathode a year, is controlled by
Vedanta Ltd, a majority owned subsidiary of the London-listed, Vedanta.
(b) The plant has been shut since 27 Mar when it was closed for a 15 day scheduled maintenance.
The company plans to double the capacity at the smelter to 800,000 tons/year.
(c) During the closure, the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board rejected Vedanta's licence to
operate the smelter saying that it had not complied with the local environmental laws. The
Board has accused Sterlite of dumping copper slag into a river and not furnishing reports of
groundwater analysis of bore wells, near the plant.
(d) Sterlite has challenged the step.
Is it a popular unrest?
3. (a) Residents have been demanding the closure for the past 100 days.
(b) An activist group has accused the Pollution Control Board of allowing the company to operate
its smelter with shorter chimney stacks, than permitted, which helped the company reduce
costs but harmed the environment.
4. And taking a head count of those who want the plant to run:-
(a) The Tuticorin Stevedores' Association, which handles manual cargo at the port, wants
resumption of copper production at the plant. It's the single largest private company handling a consistent annual volume of 38 lakh metric tons of cargo. The Association says that the
closure of the plant affects the livelihood of freight operators, drivers and workers in
related industries.
(b) The Chemical Industries Association and the Winding Wire Manufacturing Association
have also opposed the closure because it would adversely impact thousands of workers in the
small factories dependent on it.
5. So, it's not a popular unrest in the real sense.
And consider these points too.
6.. (a) Closure of the plant has led to a spike in copper prices.
(b) The plant has about a 35% share in the Indian primary copper market and exports mainly
to the Gulf and Asian countries.
My take.
A tragedy that could have been avoided if the parties concerned had exercised restraint and did not allow the matter to get out of hand.
Tailpiece.
It was Lekha's birthday today, by the Malayalam calendar. Had given her the card and wished her many happy returns before I set off for my morning walk and calls from the relatives kept coming. She'd gone to the temple along with Preetha and returned happy, because she had a good 'darshan'. The cake cutting followed.
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