Thousands of people- young and old- gathered near the Chidambaram Nagar bus stand in Thoothukudi district on Saturday. Know why this mass crowd is gathering and protesting and Shouting slogans, cheering speakers ?? The protesters had two demands: the expansion plans of the Sterlite Copper Plant in the district should be stopped and the plant itself should be shut down.
People from the Kumarattiyapuram village have been protesting against gas leaks and bad effluent management for many years. On Sunday, shops in Tuticorin remained shut following a call was given by activists against the Sterlite Industries copper plant.
Around 15,000 people gathered for the protest meeting on Saturday night demanding the closure of a copper smelting plant. R Shanthi, a young mother, said, “The factory has caused enough damage to the environment. It’s proven in court. The government should not renew its license after the 25 year period.”
With people from all walks of life-extending support to the villagers from Kumarattiyapuram village, the town also witnessed a complete shutdown. According to The News Minute People from the village have been protesting against noxious gas leaks and bad effluent management for more than two decades now.
In March 2013, hundreds of people complained of breathing difficulty, nausea, and throat infection following an alleged gas leak from the Sterlite Industries plant. Though the plant was ordered to shut down following allegations that it was violating pollution control norms, the National Green Tribunal had ultimately allowed the plant to be reopened. The same year, in another case spearheaded by MDMK party Chief Vaiko, the Supreme Court had fined the plant Rs. 100 crore for the pollution over the years. However, at that time Sterlite, run by the Vedanta group, had claimed it adheres to pollution control norms.
According to media reports, over 12,000 shops were shut for business on the main and arterial roads. Auto rickshaws, minivans in the area did not operate, bringing transportation to a halt. The villagers slammed the government for inaction over the spread of diseases on account of the pollution. The protestors also emphasized on the contaminated groundwater in the area.
— Ranjithkumar (@Ranjithkhann) March 24, 2018
Speaking to the media, Fathima Babu of the Anti Killer Sterlite People’s Movement said, “There are a lot of environmental dangers as well as health dangers, particularly cancer. Almost every house is affected by cancer. Children are most affected. Throat cancer has increased. Eye cancer has also gone up. All this is strange and shocking. We have taken the decision that this district can no longer tolerate this. We have entered the field. The trader’s association has played a big role today by shutting shop and striking.”
The full day agitation comes just a month after 250 people in the area went on a hunger strike upon hearing the expansion plans. The large gathering, many say, brought back memories of the 2017 Jallikattu uprising in Chennai in which close to 50,000 people had congregated along the Marina at one point demanding the lifting of the ban the bull-taming sport which paved way for its revival. A senior police officer said, “Around 15,000 people had attended the meet.”
However, some say it’s not right to single out Sterlite when Tuticorin has a number of factories contributing to the pollution. Richard Jonathan, an entrepreneur, posted on his Facebook page: “The cause of this environmental mess is definitely not a single factory but a cluster of factories and businesses which rely on a port, excessive trucks and heavy vehicles movements in and around, very huge labor population whose livelihood depends on these companies… Every new day new power plant is coming up in Tuticorin. No one is talking about that, nobody is bothered about the messed up social conditions and civic failures the town is going through. Why single out Sterlite?”
This anti -sterlite peoples agitation needs media support. My new status as a party leader need not be a disqualification or a deterent. I am still part of the Tamizh population. I am committed to this cause— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) March 24, 2018
According to environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman, air pollution is already a matter of worry in Thoothukudi. A copper smelter, he said, would make an already bad situation worse.
“Copper smelters are very polluting industries. They lead to the release of sulfur dioxide and dust particles in the air. In addition to this, a plant such as this will require a lot of surface water and resources, which should go for agriculture. Drinking water supply will be depleted,” he had earlier said.
And Also read this http://www.foilvedanta.org/about/
Against this vedanta group they started the community FoilVedanta. Refer this website. http://www.foilvedanta.org/about/ .
Support for Protest from London
And Also read this http://www.foilvedanta.org/about/
Against this vedanta group they started the community FoilVedanta. Refer this website. http://www.foilvedanta.org/about/ .
Support for Protest from London
