People’s power decides the fate of a Sri Lankan rubber glove factory

People’s power has made a mighty Sri Lankan corporate entity come on their knees to plead with the people to reopen its factory that manufactures rubber gloves.

At a media briefing held in Colombo this week, Dr Mahesha Ranasoma, Managing Director, Dipped Products PLC, a part of Hayleys Group, manufacturers of rubber gloves, said that they are reaching out to the villagers of Rathupaswala (in Gampaha district) to plead with them to reopen the factory, soliciting the people’s blessings.

The factory was forced to be closed down its operations, due to agitation and protest by the people around the factory in Rathupaswala and consequent to the killing of some protestors, allegedly by the armed forces.

Dr, Ranasoma said that the whole tragedy erupted in July this year, after one resident living near their factory at Rathupaswala got the water in his (resident’s) well tested by the Kadawatha Water Board that reported the water has low pH value and unsuitable for drinking purposes. He said that around another 3 to 4,000 residents also tested the water from their wells.

He contended that there are many sides to this episode, one is the aggrieved residents of Rathupaswala and the other is the large number of people affected due to the closure of the factory, the loss of foreign exchange to the country, the company’s dwindling revenue and the prolonged closure of the factory which would dry off the demand for their products.

On the other hand he said that all these issues were uncalled for as all the subsequent reports by competent authorities have shown that the pH value in the water around the factory is not affected by the factory effluents.

What the independent reports, say Dr Ranasoma said is that the Government Analyst on 13 August has concluded that the analysis shows that low pH in the neighbourhood wells cannot be due to factory effluent. The Central Environmental Authority on 30 August, he said has indicated that it is not possible to establish that treated effluent of the factory has influenced low pH in wells. Despite the negative conclusions arrived at by the Kadawatha Water Board earlier, the main Water Board has concluded on 30 August that there is no clear evidence to show that the low pH of the area is due to factory effluent.

Yet, media personnel persistently queried that if the factory effluent has not affected the pH value of the water, why isn’t the factory being reopened. Dr Ranasoma did not give a direct answer but repeatedly said that they are now seeking the blessings of the people around the factory to be reopened. But, he regretfully conceded that people do not want any solution other than the removal of the fac- tory completely out of the locality. Dr. Ranasoma said that if the people so desired even at a great cost they are prepared to remove the factory effluent in bowsers to the Biyagama FTZ treatment plant and would be very transparent where the villagers can oversee the process.

When media people asked whether DPL provides pipe borne water to the affected residents free of charge as a part of the company’s corporate social responsibility, Dr Ranasoma said that they would be able to provide pipe borne water to a few poor residents close to the factory, but he said that anybody getting pipe borne water connection should have to pay the initial connection fee.

Dr. Ranasoma’s humble plea was that DPL’s global market build tirelessly over 36 years is declining by the day and if the closure persisted the entire demand would dry off. He said that per month the loss of revenue was calculated at Rs. 3 million and already for the last three months the amount would have been spiraled to Rs. 1 billion. He pleaded with the media to carry this message to the people of Rathupaswala.

He said that since the factory is closed for four months, their customers are compelled to seek supplies from Malaysia, China, Indo- nesia and Thailand. He thus pleaded in earnest to just allow them to continue the factory for a period of six months, until they move to a different location, at an enormous cost. He termed the closure of the factory as a national economic disaster.

To another query by a journalist, whether DPL was invited to Malaysia to set up their factory, Mohan Pandithage, Chairman/CO, Hayleys Group said “Yes”. He said that in Malaysia everything is ready and all what they have to do is just “plug-in” and they can commence production. He said that they do not accept this invitation due to sheer patriotism as having the factory in Sri Lanka would benefit the people and the country.

This is one rare case in Sri Lanka where the might of the state and other powers have been subject to people’s rights.

There are several other such incidents that still await justice including the alleged killing of a worker at the Katunayake FTZ and the alleged killing of a fisherman in Chilaw at a fishermen’s protest campaign. In fact in one case such people’s rights were snubbed when the then Police chief responsible for quelling the workers struggle at KFTZ by force in which one died, promoted and posted as ambassador to a foreign country.