A green challenge for industry
Industrialists are apprehensive that the Tamil Nadu government is caving in under pressure from environment lobbies, leading to shutdowns
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on May 23 issued directions to disconnect power supply to the copper smelter facility of Sterlite Copper, a Vedanta Group company, in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
A government order to shut down the unit permanently followed on May 28, calming the sentiments of the anti-Sterlite protesters.
Almost a month later, the board ordered the closure of the Madura Coats textile unit at Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli district.
While Sterlite Copper approached the National Green Tribunal, Delhi, after taking some time, the garment-manufacturing firm was fast to knock on the door of the judiciary. The Madras High Court granted an interim stay on the disconnection of electricity to the garment unit.
It was alleged that Madura Coats was leaving industrial effluents untreated beyond the permissible limits despite warning. The garment unit argued it got only three days to show cause.
The question is whether the TNPCB has become more active than it was earlier, and started a crackdown on companies allegedly flouting environmental regulations. While one has to wait for more examples to support this argument, there is a growing apprehension in industry that the government is succumbing to the pressure of antiindustry agitations.
They allege that similar to the Sterlite issue, the crackdown on Madura Coats was done to appease protestors. They are expecting the same thing to happen to some other industry locations where protests are growing against alleged industry pollution.
An industry representative says the fear is mostly on account of the government not being able to control protests.
“When Jayalalithaa was chief minister, she was very determined and strong enough to control such situations. You can see that despite huge protests, the nuclear facility in Kudankulam was set up by the government," an industrialist said. Again, opposition parties were silent during her regime and are now acting as tacit partners of the protesters, he alleged.
"We are afraid that the next in line would be units in Perundurai and then it will move to other industrial areas," said another industrialist.
Perundurai, in Erode district, has an industrial area under State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd (SIPCOT), with dyeing and tannery units, apart from tyre-retreading and used battery-processing units. An organisation on behalf of the pollution affected people here alleges that the units are flouting pollution control norms, resulting a high prevalence of cancer in the region.
The Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association concurred that the closure of Sterlite Copper had created fear in the minds of industrialists and the government had to take steps to curb agitations and bring in confidence among industrialists. Unless such an action is taken, industry, especially small and medium enterprises, will suffer and shut down.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami recently said in the Assembly that some outfits were creating problems to make a name for themselves, in response to a comment by Opposition leader M K Stalin that the state had become a breeding ground for extremist activities.
Union Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan has recently raised this allegation and said that it was visible during Jallikattu protests. While this was not in the context of agitations against industry, a section of industry believes that the issue is with the political leadership in the state.
Actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth also alleged that there was a heavy dose of agitation in the state and its increase would make Tamil Nadu a graveyard.
There is also emerging protest against the 277-km Salem-Chennai green expressway and land acquisition related to that.
Some industrialists point to Tirupur as an example of implementing the zero effluent discharge mechanism, where it claims to ensure that almost 92 per cent of the water is recycled and steps are on to improve the system further.
Tirupur was earlier in the centre of a controversy on polluting water, and after the courts and the government intervened, strict pollution control measures were implemented.