‘Businesses overlook sustainable growth'

The corporate sector – both private and public – and civic bodies were acting against the principles of sustainable development, according to political scientist Valerian Rodrigues.

A professor with the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, he was speaking on “Political will for sustainability – feasible or unfeasible” on the concluding day of a two-day seminar at St. Aloysius College on Wednesday.

Pointing out that their actions affected the livelihood of people, he described them as violators of sustainable development.

Profit came first for the corporate sector and only a few companies adhered to the corporate ethics though they did not lag behind in talking about sustainable growth. The multi-national companies that adhered to ethics in their country failed to do so in India. Public sector undertakings such as Uranium Corporation India and power corporations in the Northeast regions had violated sustainability “grossly,” Prof. Rodrigues observed.

In the city, Mangalore City Corporation and civic bodies elsewhere too should take the blame. The MCC was letting the sewage in the sea leading to contamination of fish which are consumed by people, he said. Lower levels of Government agencies were more susceptible to pressures and ignored susceptibility. Rule of law prevailed better in State Governments than in local bodies and with Central Government better than with State Governments.

The situation in India as whole however did not present a pessimistic story. He traced the emerging scientific orientation in renewable energy, IT, nanotechnology and several movements against the violators as positives. “The capacity is there. The agencies need to be revitalised,” he said.