Agitators hold sway over projects

A number of important infrastructure projects in the country, that are vitally necessary to sustain the industrial and economic growth have been stalled in the last few months due to the agitation by the so called environmentalists, who do not listen to scientific and technical explanations.

It is sad that  a few hundreds of determined agitators have been able to dictate terms and enforce their views by threatening mass demonstration and violence on any issue.

The agitation against Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu is an immediate example, when a few thousand agitators can stall the project and not listening to any appeal and explanations by experts. Even the appeal by the former president and renowned scientist Dr A P J Abdul Kalam has fallen on deaf ears and the agitation is being continued ‘successfully.’

The net result is  that more than Rs 13,000 crore invested in the Kudankulam nuclear plant threatens to go waste and with no one knowing now as to whether it would be commissioned at all. Tamil Nadu is now facing severe power cuts with shortage of around 2000 mw  and   several parts of the state have been subjected to power cut for 5 to 6 hours every day, leading to closure of tiny and small industries and loss of employment.

Unwarranted expansion

Even as Kudankulam is blocked, a national level coordination committee of so called environmental activists was formed in Chennai city recently to fight through courts what they called the unwarranted expansion of thermal power plants along the coast.  The committee said that it would ask the Centre and state governments for an immediate halt to the expansion of the thermal plants until a cumulative assessment of the actual energy needs were spelt out clearly in a white paper.

Some agitators do not want nuclear power plants and want thermal power plants should be set up in their place. Some other agitators do not want thermal power plants. There are others in central and western India who are protesting against the hydro electric power projects. All these agitators are getting huge media publicity and they are interviewed here, there and everywhere making them look like environmental heroes. This scenario is creating confusion in the minds of the common man in India who do not have technological awareness, as to whether the environmentalists have a valid case. Such publicity is encouraging a number of other professional agitators  and local politicians to enter the fray, all in the name of environmental protection. Probably, all these agitators want India to be driven to a dark age in the name of environmental protection.

Recently, local protestors have forced the country’s biggest iron ore miner National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC)  to suspend production and shipments from Jharkhand, which accounts for two thirds of its 25 million tonnes annual output. NMDC’s mines in Chhattisgarh produce daily about 40,000 tonnes of the ore, which is vital for the steel industry. It is reported that the railways refused to supply wagons on fears that they could be attacked by agitators. Piling stocks then forced suspension of the production. Vast areas of the mineral rich state are a stronghold of Maoist rebels and public protests against the government have become common.

There are many other agitations now going on such as the protest against nuclear power project in Maharashtra, against opening of uranium mines in Meghalaya etc. The proposal of Tata group to invest around Rs 2,000 crore in Tamil Nadu was given up due to agitation by the local population against land acquisition for the project. Several rules and regulations do exist with regard to the implementation of  projects such as environmental clearance, public hearing etc. but the agitators seem to have their own ‘rules and regulations.’ Now, where do we go from here?  If such conditions persist and agitators continue to have a field day,there would be huge industrial and economic setback for India which will prove to be too costly.

One gets an impression that the main reason for such frequent agitations is that the governments have given an impression that they would be guided only by vote bank politics in dealing with the agitators and in the process showing that they have no conviction. It is high time that national opinion should be built up against such counter productive agitations.

It is nobody’s case that any violation of environmental stipulations should be tolerated or lands should be acquired for the projects displacing poor people. But, there should be proper forum and methodologies to take decision on such matters without they becoming a subject of street agitations and violent protests.