Dear C K I should have been writing this mail personally - but I think I need to do this *launda naach *in public Tharoor/s naivete notwithstanding- I strongly believe that Plachimada is the Sangh Parivar entry into Kearla I dare Ajay or Faizi to a public debate with me rather than Tharoor on this!!! Love
2009/3/5 C.K. Vishwanath <ck_vishwanath2...@yahoo.com> > > > > > --- On Thu, 5/3/09, Shiva Shankar <sshan...@cmi.ac.in> wrote: > > > From: Shiva Shankar <sshan...@cmi.ac.in> > > Subject: Coca Cola/Plachimada: An open rejoinder to Mr Shashi Tharoor > (fwd) > > To: > > Date: Thursday, 5 March, 2009, 5:01 PM > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: S Faizi [mailto:ecol...@dataone.in] > > > > Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 10:13 AM > > To: 'tharoor.assist...@gmail.com' > > Subject: Coca Cola/Plachimada: An open rejoinder to Mr > > Shashi Tharoor > > > > From: S.Faizi, R2 Saundarya Apartments, Nandavanam, > > Thiruvananthapuram, biodivers...@rediffmail.com > > (Environmental Expert Member: Kerala Groundwater Authority; > > Chairman: Indian Biodiversity Forum) > > > > Mr.Shashi Tharoor, Chairman, Afras Ventures, 230 Park > > Avenue, Suite 2525, New York, NY 10169 > > > > > > Dear Mr Tharoor, > > > > I have read with interest your response to the Plachimada > > Struggle Solidarity Committee’s criticism of your being in > > a PR project of the Coca Cola company in India, in Hindu and > > the full text on a web site that carries your PR material. I > > do not have a grain of opposition to your being in the cola > > PR outfit, for it is natural for people like to you to be in > > places like that. However, I am writing this public response > > to you in order to address the misinformation contained in > > your letter, outdoing even the PR staff of the company, and > > the unwarranted sweeping remarks you have made on Kerala > > development. > > > > The High Court Division Bench verdict in favour of the > > company that you have referred to was made subsequent to a > > single bench verdict against the company. And the Division > > Bench verdict is being challenged in the Supreme Court by > > the Perumatti Panchayat and by the people’s groups > > agitating against the company. The CWRDM-lead report was > > flawed in many respects, as is being argued in the SC, which > > is also an issue of concern for CWRDM scientists as the > > institution has suffered an erosion of credibility. The very > > assumption of the report, in estimating the total > > groundwater availability in Chitoor block, that 20 per cent > > of the rainfall can be recharged is flawed as the Central > > Groundwater Board’s (CGWB) assessment in 2003 had put the > > recharge in areas such as Chitoor at 5-8 per cent. While the > > committee report put the annual recharge in the block at > > 74.1 million cubic meters (mcm), based on the CGWB’s > > scientific estimation of recharge rate it is only between > > 16.6 to 33.2 mcms. The report also suppresses the domestic > > and agricultural water needs. The central question in the > > High Court case was not as much about pollution and > > depletion of water resources, land pollution by heavy > > metals, or the right to life provision of the Constitution, > > as about the power of the local panchayat to ask for the > > closure of the factory. The Groundwater Dept, in a report on > > the groundwater of Palakkad dist prepared in 2006, presented > > an alarming picture of the state of groundwater in Chitoor > > block. > > > > The legal status of groundwater has rightly become that of > > a public resource with the enactment of the Kerala > > Groundwater Act which came into force in 2003. However, this > > law (as well as several other points from the environmental > > jurisprudence) was not considered in the High Court case. > > Groundwater was considered as a private resource, while the > > said law asserts it as a public resource over which the > > appropriate agencies of the State have control in public > > interest. And this change in the legal status of groundwater > > is also going to be examined by the apex court. > > > > You attempt to deny the toxic sludge. However, the Supreme > > Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC), in its report following > > its site visit in August 2004, had determined the presence > > of heavy metals (cadmium and lead) in the sludge, and this > > was distributed by the cunning company to the unsuspecting > > farmers as ‘fertiliser’. And the State Pollution Control > > Board had directed the company to cease operations. The > > pollution of the well waters around the factory was reported > > by independent labs and the SPCB also confirmed it by asking > > the people not to use the water of the panchayat well it had > > tested. > > > > I visited the area two weeks ago as a member of the expert > > committee attached to the State SC/ST Commission and found > > the situation of the local people, ST/SC in particular, > > extremely worrying- there is hardly any water in the wells > > and where it is present it is not usable. Pollution of > > drinking water is a crime under the SC/ST (Atrocities) Act. > > On 14-9-2004 the company agreed to provide piped water to > > the residents of the area and the KPCB had constituted a > > committee to oversee this activitiy. This was upon the > > instruction of the SCMC, obviously as a compensation for the > > water crisis caused by the company and it was not contingent > > upon the functioning of the factory. The company reneged on > > this agreement too. > > > > Polluter Pays Principle has become an integral part of our > > jurisprudence. The Rio Declaration (principle 16) upholds > > this as well as the liability and redress provision of the > > Biodiversity Convention (I had been a negotiator in the > > formulation of both), among other multilateral soft laws and > > treaties. And this is squarely applicable in the case of > > Coca Cola at Plachimada. This was why the Kerala Goundwater > > Authority, after study by a subcommittee, recommended to the > > govt at its 13th meeting in Oct 2008 that compensation > > should be obtained from the company, on behalf of the > > people, for the pollution and groundwater depletion it has > > caused. It also recommended to make a comprehensive, > > multidisciplinary assessment of the damage caused by the > > company to the environment, human health and > > agriculture. Bringing an offender to justice is in the > > best common interest of business lest the law abiding > > competitors are left at a disadvantage. > > > > Your reference to the Global Compact was interesting. But > > you have carefully withheld the information from your > > readers that this was a project that was fiercely opposed by > > the civil society organizations. It was not a legitimate UN > > activity, negotiated and agreed by a policy setting body > > such as the GA. It was part of a series of initiatives to > > diminish the importance of the need for corporate bodies > > complying with the domestic laws of the countries, by > > introducing and promoting a voluntary code of conduct. It > > was also part of the move to whittle away the powers of > > multilateral bodies such as UNCTAD, supported by the > > developing countries. As a corporate boss you will be proud > > to have promoted the Global Compact, but its real twin role > > as a greenwash and as a means to belittle the importance of > > legal compliance is obvious to the public. Corporate > > responsibility is a crooked term, what the citizens expect > > from the corporates is corporate accountability to the laws > > of the country. If Coca Cola, for example, is willing to > > comply with the laws of the country, pay for the public > > resources it has used at the market rate and pay > > compensation for the damages it has caused that will more > > than suffice, we don’t need the Cola to take any > > responsibility for our development. > > > > As for your remarks on Kerala’s development scene, it was > > certainly uncalled for. Kerala is one of the most globalised > > societies in the world, and we were at the centre of open > > global trade until 500 years ago when the Europeans came as > > savage invaders displacing the Arab traders. Your > > accusations of Kerala as ‘over-politicised’ and this as > > a reason for an imaginary discouragement of investment in > > the state are amusing right wing cliché that fit very well > > with the intellectual immaturity that characterizes your > > writings. It is an insult to India’s unity that you are > > ashamed that Keralites work in other parts of the India. It > > is diametrically opposed to the spirit of Kerala’s > > globalism that you are ashamed of our people working in the > > Gulf and other countries. But you are saying this sitting in > > an American city and heading a business firm in Gulf. And > > you claim to be a Keralite when your web site proudly > > announces your fluency in English and French but does not > > even mention Malayalam though our language and its > > literature has a longer history than English. But such > > contradictions are typical of an intellectual simpleton’s > > writings. The Kerala model of development is an unavoidable > > term in the international development discourse, not the > > least the UN’s, but you are blissfully uninformed even > > about this. In child mortality, for example, we fare better > > than the US city you live in. Empowerment thru political > > conscientisation is at the core of the relatively high > > development indices we have achieved. Your understanding of > > India, as seen in your writings, is no deeper than a western > > tourist’s. > > > > Let me refer to just a couple of such writings. In one of > > your articles you have chauvinistically chided Indian women > > for giving up sari for western dress. Even such chauvinistic > > opinions I have no problem in tolerating but the fun is when > > you see the photo of the author of the silly article dressed > > in western suit and neck tie totally alien to traditional > > male attire! And in a subsequent article you narrated an > > anecdote where your Danish boss in the UN abused the Indian > > kurta you wore as a surgeon’s coat and that made you > > resolve not to wear the traditional Indian dress any more. > > As a committed supporter of the UN cause and as a some times > > participant in UN events, I take offence in the incident you > > narrated and your acceptance of the same. As a multilateral > > body the UN respects the multiple cultures, and if someone > > derogatively talked about a country’s traditional dress he > > should not have been on the UN staff any longer, if someone > > had set a norm like that it should have been brought to the > > attention of the concerned decision making body. UN events > > indeed are also the occasion you find the most fabulous > > traditional dress of women and men from west African > > nations, the various Arab traditional dresses from Morocco > > to Yemen, the elegant sheravni, sari and churidar from south > > Asia, and so on. I myself presided over a youth conference > > organized by Unesco/UNEP in Moscow in 1987 (part of > > Tbilisi+10) wearing a white cotton kurta/pyjama, and nobody > > cared about what I wore (I wouldn’t have allowed it > > either). And your sectarian mindset blamed the Punjabis for > > giving masculine names for their daughters, forgetting that > > what you have done with your own name isn’t anything > > different. Sasi is how the masculine name is spelt in Kerala > > while Shashi, the way you spell it, is a feminine name in > > north India! > > > > Your reply talks of the anti-Cola activists scoring some > > political point. No one can read any party politics in their > > letter, the Plachimada anti-Cola struggle is beyond > > divisions along party politics. The ruling LDF supports the > > Plachimada cause as much as the opposition UDF. And in the > > struggle itself you find people of all political > > affiliations and creeds. We are all one on the issue of > > justice, but you cannot perhaps understand that. But if you > > are talking about politics with your ambition to get a seat > > in the forthcoming Parliament election in view, I wish the > > Congress party gives you a ticket, for it deserves you. That > > will be a good self punishment for the Congress party for > > having allowed you once to embarrass the country with your > > UN election. > > > > Best regards > > S.Faizi > > > > > > > > > Check out the all-new Messenger 9.0! Go to > http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/ > > > > > -- Bobby Kunhu http://community.eldis.org/myshkin/Blog/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
