It is easy to see the Sterlite Copper issue in the following ways: a case of failed managerial handling; a politically motivated agitation in a State where overall governance is in doubt; or, as a case of poor CSR by a profit-making company (“Sterlite Copper told to shut shop in T.N.”, May 29). The fact is that the agitation and its aftermath reflect the ease with which it is possible to circumvent our regulatory procedures and the time it takes for the attendant problems to surface, fester and boil over. It is assumed that the environment comprises only the physical attributes of water, air and land. What is lost sight of is the fact that it is people who are fundamental to any discourse on the environment. It must be recalled that the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was conceived after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972 (and in which India participated and pledged to take appropriate steps for the protection and improvement of the human environment). Perhaps the way to prevent such tragedies from recurring is to insist that the subject of environmental clearance comes up in the first stage — not by looking at just the physical parameters and processes to be deployed but also at how the project will affect the health of the people nearby and over a 10-year timeframe. Most importantly, the consent of the people whose land is being taken or who are going to be affected should be obtained through the sanction of the gram panchayat or the gram sabha before any jan sunwai or public hearing is carried out.
Raghav Chandra,
New Delhi
It is unfortunate that a large industrial unit has had to be closed. As the company claims that it has been compliant as far as environmental laws are concerned, the State Pollution Control Board should publish the monitoring results. The economic consequences to the State are bound to be enormous. Perhaps a lesson can be drawn from the Gujarat experience. Three industrial estates that were declared to be highly polluting were practically read the riot act, asked to comply with pollution standards and given a timeframe. What followed were strict monitoring and good results. The Tamil Nadu government could have sorted out the problem in a much better way.
D.M. Mohunta,
Chennai
It is commendable that the Tamil Nadu government has at last honoured people’s sentiments. However, had it acted in time, the violence could have been avoided. The fact remains that industry and modernisation have merits but the fallout, at least in India, is gross ecological imbalance. The need of the hour is to address these negative effects rather than close down industries altogether.
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,
Hyderabad
The health of the environment cannot be sacrificed for momentary gains. The developed countries realised this a long time ago and have stringent rules in place while the developing world has still to play catch up. India cannot forget the consequences of the Bhopal gas tragedy.
James Edwin Thomson,
Chennai
