Skip to main content

There is motivated hate campaign against Sterlite Copper by some activists

By NS Venkataraman* 

It is reported in the media that NITI Aayog member V.K. Saraswat has pitched for providing a production linked incentive ( PLI) scheme to the copper sector, stating that primary copper production is critical for India to be an export hub.
The above statement is surprising , since Sterlite Copper , a large copper unit has been forced to remain closed for over four years now in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and the subject is before the Supreme Court for decision regarding reopening the unit.

Indian Copper scenario:

There are three copper smelter units set up in India namely Hindalco at Dahej, Gujarat with installed capacity of 5 lakh tonne per annum, Sterlite Copper at Tuticorin , Tamil Nadu with installed capacity of 4 lakh tonne per annum and Hindustan Copper Ltd. with much smaller capacity.
Hindustan Copper Ltd produces copper metal from the ore produced at their captive mines. Sterlite Copper and Hindalco Industries Ltd have been producing copper metal from imported copper concentrates.

Sterlite Copper Unit:

The Sterlite Copper unit which was set up over a decade back in Tamil Nadu was closed and re-opened more than once due to environmental issues raised by some activists.
Sterlite Copper has consistently said that it has not violated any environmental norms. National Green Tribunal confirmed that if there was any environmental issue in Tuticorin region, it has not been due to Sterlite Copper but for other reasons. National Green Tribunal permitted the operation of Sterlite Copper. However, due to violent agitation by the activists , the Sterlite Copper unit was ordered to be closed by Tamil Nadu Government in May, 2018.
While the unit has not been in operation for over four years now, a few investigation team including from Anna University have confirmed after detailed study that there have been no change in the environmental condition in Tuticorin region after the closure of Sterlite Copper unit. Obviously, this means that Sterlite Copper Unit has not been responsible for causing any environmental issues in the region.
When Sterlite Copper was operating, it was meeting around 33% of India’s requirement of copper, with annual copper demand of around 6,30 000 tonne per annum in India.
When Sterlite Copper was operating, India was exporting copper. After the stoppage of production of Sterlite Copper, India is now importing copper and India is now net importer of Copper with huge outflow of foreign exchange . In the global market, Chinese copper units gained considerably due to the stoppage of copper export from India.

What future for Sterlite Copper?

It is now not clear as to what would be the future of the Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin, since the matter is before the Supreme Court.
However, it appears that the motivated activists protesting against the Sterlite Copper operation and the politicians belonging to the ruling party and their allies in Tamil Nadu appear to be determined not to permit the resumption of operation of Sterlite Copper.
Due to the closure of the Sterlite Copper unit , around 2000 direct employees and around 7000 indirect employees such as workers employed by the contractors have lost the job. They have repeatedly appealed to the Government of Tamil Nadu to reopen the Sterlite Copper unit.
A number of residents living in Tuticorin and surrounding areas have also appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to reopen Sterlite Copper, as the continued closure is adversely impacting the economy in the region. Number of them confirmed that they have not been affected due to operation of Sterlite Copper.

Shift the Sterlite Copper unit out of Tamil Nadu

While the concern of the NITI Aayog member about inadequate production of copper in the country is appropriate , what is the point in launching the PLI scheme for copper production when a large capacity copper unit has been forced to remain closed in Tamil Nadu?
Considering the fact that Sterlite Copper was operating well and was also exporting copper successfully around the world, it is necessary that this valuable project should not be allowed to go waste.
Under the circumstances, considering the ground reality that there is a motivated hate campaign against Sterlite Copper unit by some activists and the state government is not in favour of the project for whatever reasons, the Government of India should encourage the Vedanta Group to shift the Sterlite Copper unit out of Tamil Nadu.
While shifting this large copper plant from Tuticorin to another location would be an expensive affair, it would certainly be much less expensive and much less time consuming. than setting up a new copper smelter project elsewhere.
Tamil Nadu’s loss will be a gain for some other state and certainly it would be a gain for the country as a whole.
---
*Trustee, Nandini Voice for the Deprived, Chennai

Comments

TRENDING

Abrogation of Art 370: Increasing alienation, relentless repression, simmering conflict

One year after the abrogation by the Central Government of Art. 370 in Kashmir, what is the situation in the Valley. Have the promises of peace, normalcy and development been realised? What is the current status in the Valley? Here is a detailed note by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties , “Jammu & Kashmir: One Year after Abrogation of Art. 370: Increasing Alienation, Relentless Repression, Simmering Conflict”:

Repeated failure to appoint Chief, other commissioners undermining RTI Act

By Anjali Bhardwaj, Amrita Johri* The post of the Chief Information Commissioner of the Central Information Commission (CIC) has fallen vacant with the retirement of Bimal Julka with effect from August 27, 2020. This is the fifth time in the last six years that the Commission has been rendered headless. Four posts of information commissioners are also vacant in the CIC. Currently more than 35,000 appeals and complaints are pending in the commission resulting in citizens having to wait for months, even years for their cases to be disposed, thereby frustrating peoples’ right to know. Since May 2014, not a single commissioner of the CIC has been appointed without citizens having to approach courts. The failure of the government to make timely appointments of commissioners is a flagrant violation of the directions of the Supreme Court. In its February 2019 judgment, the apex court had categorically stated that if the CIC does not have a Chief Information Commissioner or required strength

Sunil Gavaskar, G Viswanath rated Andy Roberts best fast bowler they ever faced

By Harsh Thakor  The West Indies pace quartet or battery of the 1970’s and 1980’s truck terror to deliver a knockout punch, like never in cricket history. One was reminded of bomber raiding an airbase or a combing operation. Andy Roberts was the pioneer in orchestrating or propelling the most fiery and lethal pace bowling attack ever in the history of the game. Simply the godfather of Modern West Indies fast bowlers. He spearheaded the pack from the mid 1970’s .Without Andy the talent of Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft would never have blossomed.Michael Holding credits Andy for shaping his great bowling career, by infusing vital elements.

Adivasi land rights question in Telugu states: Digitization process without transparency?

By Dr Palla Trinadha Rao  This paper examines whether the Land Records Modernization Program initiated by the successive governments in Telugu States is beneficial to tribals in the Scheduled Areas in the light of special protective Land laws that are in force there. Digitization process or regularization of land records or land surveys without transparency will result in disempowerment of Adivasis. This can be tested in the case of Adivasis in the Scheduled Areas of Telugu States. British colonialism, through its land revenue policy and elaborate exploitative bureaucratic structure, made land alienable on a large scale especially in tribal areas. 1 Land and the forest produce remain the main source of tribals’ livelihood; but availability of land is restricted by forest reservation on the one hand, and non-tribal encroachment on the other. 2 In the Andhra Area, there were certain laws including the Agency Tracts Interest and Land Transfer Act, 1917 that existed before the inaugurati

Ultimate champion in crisis, arguably best ever skipper: Created history in Aussie cricket

By Harsh Thakor  In the history of cricket few cricketers knit and propelled a cricket team or had such profound influence on the game as Ian Chappell. Ian Chappell was responsible for converting a bunch of talented individuals into a world beating side, giving a dramatic turn to Australian cricket. Few cricketers ever led such a renaissance.

Largest democracy in world has become weakest at hands of fascist Hindutva forces

Note on “The Nazification of India”, a report released By Justice For All: *** This report, the Nazification of India, compares how Hindutva ideology not only is inspired by Nazis and Fascists of Europe, but their treatment of the Muslim minority closely follows developments that resulted in pushing Jews to the gas chambers. Situation is indeed quite alarming. The report says that the largest democracy in the world has become the weakest at the hands of the fascist Hindutva ideology. India today is ruled not just by a political party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but its mother organization the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Because the BJP’s government policies are linked to extra-legal enforcement by RSS paramilitary street power, this report has coined the term “The BJP-RSS regime” to reflect their intrinsic links and collaborative relationship. The Nazification of India report marks the anniversary of the Gujarat pogroms of 2002 against Muslims which propelled the BJP-RSS

BSF's unconstitutional, whimsical order violates life, livelihood of Dalits, minorities

Kirity Roy, Secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), writes to the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission: *** I want to attract your attention towards the illegitimate restrictions on the life and livelihood of the villagers of Paschim Sahebganj village under Dinhata - II Block and Sahebganj police station in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal by the Border Security Force personnel attached with Dharala Border Out Post under 138 Battalion BSF. The population of Paschim Sahebganj village is around 1480, where almost 75 percent of the villagers belong from Hindu Scheduled Caste (Dalit) and 25 percent from minority Muslim backgrounds.The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. About 260 acres of cultivable land in the village that belongs to the villagers is located outside the border fencing, which is heavily guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF). The BSF regulates the ingress and egress of the villagers to their fields through the fencing gates that a

Varanasi social worker who has devoted her life for the ultra-poor and the marginalized

Passion Vista and its partners profile Founder and Managing Trustee Shruti Nagvanshi as  someone whom women leaders look up to: *** Shruti Nagvanshi, a social worker and human rights activist based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, has devoted her life to reaching out to the ultra-poor and marginalized communities in India. Born in Dashashwmedh, Varanasi on 2 January 1974, she married Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi on 22 February 1992 and has a son, Kabeer Karunik, a Business management Graduate who is also a national level snooker player.

An approach to lake/pond restoration by Ramveer Tanvar, Pond Man of India

By Monami Bhattacharya*, Mansee Bal Bhargava**  Lakes/ ponds are often referred to as an elixir of life, a living ecosystem that adds incremental value to the larger biota. Across the tropical landscape of the country lakes/ ponds are a common sight. Lakes/ponds have always shaped the life and livelihood of those dwelling in and around it. The dependence of the local population on these natural resources of water is noticeable since time immemorial. However, they are fading fast in both rural and urbanscapes from the popular parlance with the advance of humanity. It has been a popular notion to value land more than the waterscape and hence these nurturers of life are under stress in several areas. In many instances, these once beautiful waterscapes referred as the ‘Eye of the Earth’ are mostly now only dilapidated garbage dump yards emitting foul smell with no sign of a healthy ecosystem.

Urban crisis: Impact of erosion of democratic framework on Indian cities

By IMPRI Team  On 13th February, 2023, IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi in collaboration with ActionAid Association India arranged a book launch followed by lecture series under the title “India’s G20 Presidency & the Urban Agenda for the Developing Countries”. The event was held in Indian International Centre (IIC) Annex, New Delhi. The event began with the book inauguration session, under the honorary presence of Mr Sitaram Yechury, former Rajya Sabha member and General Secretary, CPI (M), accompanied by Mr Sandeep Chachra, executive director, ActionAid Association India. Session 1 | Book Launch: ‘Cities in Transition’ by Mr Tikender Singh Panwar The book launched was “Cities in Transition”, written by Mr Tikender Singh Panwar, former Deputy Mayor, Shimla and a Senior Fellow at IMPRI. Beginning with brief remarks on his book, Mr Panwar outlined the basic subject matter and the purpose behind writing the book, which he considers as a by-product of his experien