Truth Media Uncensored: STERLITE

22nd March 2018.

Merciless, Barbaric, Cruel, Relentless, Inhumane – such words just cannot describe the anguish and pain that people faced in the streets of the Small South Indian Coastal Town called Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. Heinous shooting that led to the death of 13 innocent protesters and injuring 20000 people - in what is said to be one of the blackest days of Democracy – The Thoothukudi Massacre. Why did this happen? Was any Politics involved? Let's decode a lot of unanswered questions in our new Series of Truth Media Uncensored (TMU): STERLITE.

Sterlite Copper Industries in Thoothukudi

Sterlite is a Copper Smelter better known as Sterlite Copper Industries, a business unit of Vedanta Ltd. and a subsidiary of a London-based industry Vedanta Resources Pvt. Ltd. It's founder, Mr Anil Agarwal, made a rags-to-riches story as his humble beginnings resulted in the growth of a big corporate whose net worth is estimated to be $3.3B. Vedanta specialises in mining and refining of Non-Ferrous metals like Copper, Zinc and Aluminium.

It all started in 1992 when Sterlite was allotted 500 acres of land by the Maharashtra Industrial Corporation to set up a 60,000 tonne Copper Smelter and related Infrastructure. The entire construction was identified to violate all rules necessary to be followed for an Industry construction - like Land to the treatment of waste, proper disaster management measures, etc... that agitated the local people of Ratnagiri, the place where the industry was set to be constructed. Prolonged protests and demonstrations by the people forced the Government to completely shut down their operations and eventually seal the Industry later in the year 1994.

During that time, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Selvi J Jayalalithaa announced big Industrial Development Projects in major cities of Tamil Nadu aimed in providing employment opportunities of the people of TN and also to improve the economy of the State. Very soon, Vedanta was issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC), enabling the company to initiate the construction of their Copper Smelter in the coastal town of Thoothukudi. It has been mentioned in their LOC by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) that the industry should be constructed 25kms. away from the Gulf of Mannar considering the ecological sensitivity of the place but yeah - you guessed it right - Vedanta violated it by constructing Sterlite just 15kms. away from the Gulf of Mannar sparking minor protests against the local people. Many never headlined the news thanks to their influence and power they had over our officials.

Very soon, pollution increased to alarming levels. On October 14, 1996, TNPCB issued a notice regarding all the guidelines to be followed for the continuation of services by Sterlite in Thoothukudi and to prevent the cancellation of their License. What was said to be 'corrected and resolved' from the administrative committee of Sterlite was once again exposed with a sequence of events that led to the turning the people of Thoothukudi completely against the Industry and the powers of the state. On May 5, 1997, women workers of a dry flowers manufacturing industry near Sterlite fell sick and fainted due to a minor gas leak from Sterlite. On August 20, 1997, Sulphur Dioxide levels in and around the vicinity of Sterlite was 10-12 times higher than the permissible limits. Many people suffered from heavy breathing, headache and concussions. Continuous pressure from the higher authorities forced the TNPCB to give the company a clean chit.

In November 1998, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) submitted a study on Sterlite's pollution. The study found that Sterlite:

• had failed to develop a greenbelt;

• was producing products it was not authorised to;

• had contaminated the groundwater with arsenic, lead, selenium, arsenic, aluminium and copper;

• may have tampered with the online air monitors;

• had caused gas leaks that hurt people in the Flower Manufacturing Unit;

• had located itself 14 km from notified islands in the Gulf of Mannar, thereby violating the condition laid out in Consent to Establish.

All the above violations were reported many-a-times by many people during different junctures of time when Sterlite made the news. The sheer wealth and the power of influence that Sterlite had over our officials easily made them come out of every case that was filed against them in all levels of the Judiciary. All these were eventually put off completely on the 28th of May 2018, when Sterlite was officially sealed by the Government of Tamil Nadu under the guidelines of the Supreme Court of India.

So, what led to the industry getting Sealed when everything was going according to the will and wish of the Company? Here is the list of the amount of pollution that Sterlite did as reported by LMES (Let's make Education Simple) Academy in their website:

A Barren Land around the vicinity of the Dumpyard (Courtesy: LMES Academy)

1. Total dissolved salts (Including Sulphates, Chlorides and Nitrates) in the town of Therkuveerapandiyapuram were 2-11 times greater than the Maximum Permissible Limits.

2. Total dissolved salts (Chlorides, Sulphates, and Carbonates) in the town of Kumara Ettiyapuram were 2-21 times greater than the Maximum Permissible Limits.

3. Total dissolved salts (Chlorides, Sulphates, Carbonates, Nitrates and Ammonium Compounds) in the town of Thoothukudi were hazardously inside the Maximum Permissible Limits.

4. The Industrial waste dumped in the open ground near the Sterlite Industry was at a pH of 1.75, because of which the once-green land around this place has become completely barren and unsuitable for Agriculture.

5. The groundwater in and around the Industrial dump yard is said to be completely contaminated with Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, etc... all have the potential to cause a lot of Genetic disorders to humans and may even cause death.

Aerial view of the Acid Dumpyard and the itched ground (Courtesy: LMES Academy)

In the year 2018, Sterlite Copper proposes to expand the facility and add a second unit in the factory in the village of Therkuveerapandiyapuram, thereby infuriating local people. Massive protests started against Sterlite. On the 100th day of protests, protesters thronged the Collector office demanding justice. Due to the chain of violent incidents, police opened fire on the innocent civilians participated in the protests, causing the life of 13 and injuring 20k+ civilians on the 22nd of March 2018. Immense pressure mounted on Government officials and the TNPCB which in turn took some serious decisions and unravelled the true face of Sterlite by submitting all pieces of evidence against Sterlite, causing the closure of the Industry on 28th of May 2018 and eventually the seal.

Massive Demonstrations against Sterlite in the Town of Thoothukudi

I want to convey mainly two things from this article - The first is that one needs to sacrifice oneself for the welfare of society. The country is in such pitiable state that power is rested upon the hands of those who will go to any extent if money flows in their lockers like a waterfall. The world hears to people's pain only if someone dies - what a shame! This can be resolved only if we as the people of India represent 'real' people as candidates to both the assemblies and they put the righteous use of their powers. Second, there are many Industries like Sterlite which continue to bamboozle people by providing wrong information regarding the amount of pollution, waste management, etc... to the concerned officials which will continue to affect the lives of millions of people living around the vicinity of the industry who do not have the proper support to fight against the corporate. The fact is clear - one needs to get the right news so that one can proceed further.

Epporul yaaryaarvai ketpinum apporul

Meipporul Kaanbathu Arivu.