No,Gayatri c.spivak said that the problems and limitations of internet
politics.a large numbers of mails which have no meaning at all.It is just a
passive mail having no political meaning at all.
This is about the thinking of new socialist feminist project and to recapture
the space of the welfare state in the present era.Of course,she thinks that new
unity between left and new social movements.still,nation state has a positive
role to play.In that sense,The open criticism of indian left against nuclear
deal is very positive.
>
> 2009/3/ damodar prasad
> wrote:
>
>
>
> dear viswanath,
> what was that Gayathri Spivak Passionately spoke about...
> was it about the shrinking of critical space in cyberaria?
> Good way to 'reclaim" the critical space..
>
> ithu aradai.. ee vendra singh? .. any
> "re-capturer" of critical- traditional space?
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 5:40 PM,
> C.K. Vishwanath <ck_vishwanath2...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- On Sat, 7/3/09, Ravinder Singh wrote:
>
>
>
> > From: Ravinder Singh
>
> > Date: Saturday, 7 March, 2009, 2:46 PM
>
> > Kerala NGOs Disown Shashi Tharoor on Coca Cola
>
> > Issue
>
> >
>
> > Dear
>
> > Mr. S. Faizi,
>
> >
>
> > There
>
> > is no water shortage in Gods Own Country blessed with
>
> > highest rainfall in the world spread over 120 to 140
> days
>
> > and water flows in rivers is 72,673 MCM in a year when
> water
>
> > drawn by Coca Cola was just 0.182 MCM. Primary source
> of
>
> > water in Kerala is river flows only few states like
> Punjab
>
> > depend primarily on ground water for irrigation and
> other
>
> > needs.
>
> >
>
> > I am
>
> > disappointed to learn that “Struggle to make sure
> Kerala
>
> > remains industrially backwards led by you as an expert
> is
>
> > gaining momentum and you are even prepared to disown
>
> > Kerala’s pride Shashi Tharoor.”
>
> >
>
> > [Kerala is a small
>
> > state, tucked away between the Western Ghats and the
> Arabian
>
> > Sea, in the southwestern corner of India . The land is
> known
>
> > for its picturesque landscapes and highly educated
> people.
>
> > With a very high quality of life index and literacy,
> the
>
> > State is one of the most densely populated in India .
>
> > Geographically, Kerala is unique and its climate is
> often
>
> > described as pseudo-tropic. The State is endowed with
>
> > liberal rainfall and all round lush vegetation. Some
> of the
>
> > last remnants of the tropical rain forests of India
> are
>
> > situated here. It is the privilege of Kerala to usher
> in the
>
> > southwest monsoon to the
>
> > country. The tall, well-wooded hills of Western
> Ghats
>
> > precipitate a bountiful rainfall that flows down to
> the
>
> > Arabian sea through 41 small, west-flowing drainages.
> These
>
> > rivers, the longest being Bharatapuzha, 267 km, carry
> an
>
> > annual discharge of 72 673 million m3 (MCM) per year,
> which
>
> > is much higher than the quantum of water being carried
> by
>
> > large rivers like Cauvery, Krishna and Tapti.]
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Let me add only
>
> > Ganga , Bramhputra & Godavri rivers carry more
> water
>
> > than rivers in Kerala. No state on earth has 2000 MCM
> of
>
> > water available per 1000 square kilometer surface
> area. This
>
> > is 2 million cubic meters per square kilometer, Coca
> Cola
>
> > factory is built on 15 hectares which is 0.15 sq.km
> thus
>
> > contributed 0.3 MCM of river flows before it was
> built
>
> > against water extraction of 0..18 MCM. Another way of
>
> > calculation is 1,50,000 sq.mt factory
> receiving 2 meters of
>
> > rain fall would get 0.3 MCM annual precipitation much
> less
>
> > than extraction.
>
> >
>
> > I
>
> > admire your skills in running down people who do not
>
> > subscribe to your opinion and make a fool of the High
> Court
>
> > & Supreme Court by not disclosing huge surplus
> water
>
> > resources in dams and rivers of Palakkad District and
>
> > Chittur Taluka, less than 0.01% of it was required by
> Coca
>
> > Cola. Quantum of rainfall in Palakkad District is
> 8,000 MCM
>
> > against 0.182 MCM water needs of Coca Cola. But in
> the
>
> > report as an Expert you could find only 0.25 MCM
> surplus
>
> > water in Chittur Taluk. “The requirement of
> Coca-Cola is
>
> > 0.1825 MCM, or 73 per cent of the remaining 0.25 MCM
> of
>
> > groundwater.”
>
> >
>
> > Bharathapuzha is
>
> > extensively dammed for irrigation purposes in
> Palakkad
>
> > district, resulting in nine impoundments (11351 ha).
>
> > River
>
> > Bharathapuzha is bestowed with a rich web of
> tributaries and
>
> > sub-tributaries. The river basin receives an average
> annual
>
> > rainfall of 2,300 mm and the annual average stream
> flow is
>
> > estimated to be 5,082.9 million cubic metres..
>
> >
>
> > When
>
> > dubious people like you are appointed “Experts”
> there is
>
> > gross mis-management, people die of starvation,
> poverty
>
> > & malnutrition. I found very low paddy crop yield
> in
>
> > Kerala and can’t imagine why three paddy crops are
> raised
>
> > in Kerala like TN and then complain of water
> shortage.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > You
>
> > have not honored Kerala High Court judgment that let
> Coca
>
> > Cola resume its operations.
>
> >
>
> > People
>
> > in Kerala and more importantly NGOs around the world
> would
>
> > be shocked when they learn biggest dam and six out of
> ten
>
> > irrigation projects in Kerala are located in Palakkad
>
> > district where Coca Cola plant is located but you
> have
>
> > manipulated it as a dry a barren district.
>
> >
>
> > Just
>
> > one Chitturpuzha Dam get 7.25 tmc of water annually
>
> > serving Chittur Taluk which is more than 200 million
> cubic
>
> > meter against 0.18 MCM water requirement of Coca
> Cola.
>
> > Malampuzha has 226 million cubic metre of live
>
> > storage capacity which means it regulates between 500
> MCM to
>
> > 1000 MCM of river flows.
>
> >
>
> > But most amazingly
>
> > Kerala cultivates rice mainly in dry Summer or Rabi
> season.
>
> > Last year 143,000 hectare was brought under paddy in
> Kerala
>
> > in Rabi season against target of 224,000 hectares but
> in
>
> > Kharif season coinciding with monsoon respective
> figures
>
> > were 76,000 hectares and 138,000 hectares. Kerala may
> switch
>
> > to Sunflower or Maize cultivation in Rabi season to
> conserve
>
> > water and import rice from other states.
>
> >
>
> > I think it is your
>
> > professional duty to tell facts to the Supreme Court
> &
>
> > High Court and more importantly people of Kerala &
> NGOs.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Ravinder Singh
>
> >
>
> > March07,
>
> > 2009
>
> >
>
> > References &
>
> > Your Message
>
> >
>
> > http://agricoop.nic.in/Rabi%202008/rabi08.htm
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > http://www.thehindu.com/2004/03/15/stories/2004031501870500.htm
>
> >
>
> > http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/21/stories/2008072153850300.htm
>
> >
>
> > You have not
>
> > disclosed two vital facts to Kerala High Court &
> Supreme
>
> > Court - first TN released much less water than
> agreement
>
> > into Irrigation system in 2003 and 2004 as main cause
> of
>
> > water shortage “No water has been released to the
>
> > Chitturpuzha in Palakkad district from the
> inter-State
>
> > Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) since February 10,
>
> > resulting in the drying up of paddy in thousands of
> acres in
>
> > Chittur taluk.” Shortfall was 3.25 tmc which is
> nearly 100
>
> > millon cubic meters serving Coca Cola plant area.
> Secondly
>
> > area under paddy cultivation has declined 38% from
> 1,82,621
>
> > hectares to 1,13,919 hectares. This means 38% less
> water
>
> > needs for paddy cultivation.
>
> >
>
> > http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2209/stories/20050506001104000.htm
>
> >
>
> > “AS per the
>
> > final report of the committee, which was headed by
> the
>
> > Director of the Centre for Water Resources,
> Development and
>
> > Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode, and had experts from
> the
>
> > State Pollution Control Board, the State Ground Water
>
> > Department, the CWRDM and Coca-Cola as members, out of
> the
>
> > annual available groundwater resources of 66.7 million
> cubic
>
> > metres (MCM) in the Chittur block, of which Plachimada
> forms
>
> > a part, 62.5 MCM was needed to meet the requirements
> of the
>
> > domestic and irrigation sectors. The requirement of
> the
>
> > company (at the average rate of five lakh litres a
> day) was
>
> > only 5 per cent of the remaining 4.2 MCM meant for
> other
>
> > purposes in the region. Similarly, the company's
>
> > requirement is only 4.97 per cent of the 3.67 MCM
> estimated
>
> > annual groundwater resources of the Plachimada
> watershed.
>
> > The committed groundwater resources required to
>
> > meet the domestic and irrigation requirements until
> 2025
>
> > is 3.42 MCM. The requirement of Coca-Cola is 0.1825
> MCM, or
>
> > 73 per cent of the remaining 0.25 MCM of
>
> > groundwater.”
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jan252007/240..pdf
>
> >
>
> > http://www.indiaresource.org/documents/PlachimadaReportWaterPollution.pdf
>
> >
>
> > You
>
> > have even cooked up stories of Cadmium, Lead and
> Chromium
>
> > pollutants released by Coca Cola June2006 whereas
> extensive
>
> > analysis of water quality by CGWB for Palghat
> district
>
> > didn’t find any of these pollutants but most other
> harmful
>
> > chemicals and cooked up samples didn’t find anything
> found
>
> > by CGWB. I have also noticed in the cooked up report
>
> > proportion of three pollutants is not similar in all
> the
>
> > samples. Since water flows in one direction reported
>
> > presence of these three chemicals around the project
> site in
>
> > 10 samples points to fraud.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > http://www.cgwb.gov.in/KR/static_gwr_distwise.htm
>
> >
>
> > Ground
>
> > water availability in Palakkad or Palghat district is
> 750
>
> > MCM but use is just 300 MCM. Can you deny adequate
> water
>
> > available in Palakkad for industrial use? This report
> was
>
> > finalized on 16/11/2001 was
>
> > available to you.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > It
>
> > would have been better if you had cared to reply to
> my
>
> > message of March01, 2009. I have included hard
> evidence
>
> > here.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > No
>
> > state builds dams and canals in dry region. Coca Cola
> plant
>
> > is surrounded by dams and canals.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Two of
>
> > your MISLEADING statements are addressed here.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Average
>
> > rainfall in Palakkad is around 2 meters annual this
> over
>
> > 4480 sqkm is over 8960 MCM and ground water recharge
> of 750
>
> > BCM is less than 10% and when rainfall is delivered in
> 120
>
> > days and there are numnerous dams also in Palakkad
> district.
>
> > Rainfall in Palakkad is 1916 mm. Chottor has 290 sq.km
> area
>
> > therefore rainfall in Chittor is 555 MCM.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Kerala High Court
>
> > Judgment
>
> > http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2209/stories/20050506001104000.htm
>
> >
>
> > Through its April
>
> > 7 order, the Division Bench, comprising Justice M.
>
> > Ramachandran and Justice K.P. Balachandran, overturned
> the
>
> > Single Bench's ruling, saying that "a person
> has
>
> > the right to extract water from his property, unless
> it is
>
> > prohibited by a statute. We hold that ordinarily a
> person
>
> > has a right to draw water, in reasonable limits,
> without
>
> > waiting for permission from the panchayat and the
>
> > government. This alone could be the rule, and the
>
> > restriction, an exception".
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Dams
>
> > in Palakkad & Kerala
>
> > http://www.pkd.kerala.gov.in/develop.htm
>
> >
>
> > http://www.malampuzha.com/pages/8waterresources.htm
>
> >
>
> > “Palakkad district
>
> > is blessed with irrigation facilities. Dams have been
>
> > constructed across almost all the important
> tributaries of
>
> > the Bharathapuzha to provide irrigation facilities to
> the
>
> > district. Six out of the ten completed irrigation
> projects
>
> > of Kerala are in Palakkad district.”
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/05/stories/2006080503390500.htm
>
> >
>
> > “PALAKKAD: The
>
> > biggest irrigation dam in the State, Malampuzha, has
> touched
>
> > record water storage this monsoon -- The maximum water
> level
>
> > of the dam is 115.06 metres and the maximum storage is
> 226
>
> > million cubic metre (7.981 tmc). The dam has 6.281 tmc
> water
>
> > now as against 6.096 tmc last year, he said.”
>
> >
>
> > Floods in Palakkad
>
> >
>
> > http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dynamic/endseasonreport.pdf
>
> > http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/05/stories/2007080551200300.htm
>
> > http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/23/stories/2007072353840300.htm
>
> > http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/06/stories/2006060607700300.htm
>
> > The Collector
>
> > submitted a report of the damage caused by flood and
> other
>
> > natural calamity. The report said that 10 people,
> including
>
> > four children, died in the heavy rain, flood and
> landslips.
>
> > The total loss estimated in the district is to the
> tune of
>
> > Rs.93 crore. In the calamity, 4,448 hectares of
> agricultural
>
> > land was destroyed affecting 13,943 farmers. The loss
> in the
>
> > agriculture sector is estimated to be Rs.18.14 crore.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Open Letter to Shashi Tharoor & His Reply
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Dear Mr. Shashi
>
> > Tharoor,
>
> > I am glad you have
>
> > cared to reply to Vishwanathan’s letter. We seldom
> get a
>
> > reply to our complaints to political leaders, even
> president
>
> > and PM ignore complaints.
>
> >
>
> > 11,000 children
>
> > were reported missing in last 12 months from national
>
> > capital. Parents of missing children have repeated
> petitions
>
> > but Delhi Police refuses to even write an FIR. Our
> mediocre
>
> > leaders don’t have skills to deal even most basic
>
> > complaints firstly don’t command necessary authority
> and
>
> > secondly can’t implement any project or program
>
> > economically and without corruption.
>
> >
>
> > Trivial issues are
>
> > made interstate disputes and small incidents made in
> to
>
> > international conflict. Not just that they take pride
> in
>
> > their stupidity.
>
> >
>
> > In eight months
>
> > ending Nov2008 NRIs remitted $39b, contribution of NRI
> from
>
> > Kerala could be $10b but in the absence of suitable
>
> > Industrial Promotion very little get invested on job
>
> > creating industries. Punjab also has similar
> situation.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Tube-well of my 12
>
> > acre farm in Punjab that receive one fourth rains
> than
>
> > Plachimada Coca Cola plant and deliver 25 liters per
> second
>
> > yield or 90,000 liters per hour. Coca Cola plant
> drawing 6
>
> > LPS water from 35 acre plot can’t be blamed for
> drying up
>
> > entire areas around it. Water requirement of Coca Cola
> is
>
> > 500M3 per day or 0.182million cubic meter per year.
> Water
>
> > resource development in Kerala is 47% as per DGWB2004
>
> > Report. Palaghat District has highest ground water
>
> > availability at 0.75BCM out of 6.23BCM for Kerala and
> 0.396
>
> > BCM is available for future development. Ground water
>
> > extraction in Kerala is 2.92 BCM out of 6.84 BCM
> available.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > With 120 to 140
>
> > rainy days and 3107mm rainfall over 38893 square
> kilometer
>
> > area means Kerala get 120 BCM of precipitation. So
> ground
>
> > water extraction is just 2.5% of precipitation.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Google picture
>
> > shows three dams close to Coca Cola Plant and a river
> also
>
> > flows less than a kilometer from site. One of the dams
> might
>
> > be intercepting waters and channeling it for
> irrigation and
>
> > other purposes. Even dams are around same elevation so
> water
>
> > flows in to dams but can not flow to Coca Cola site
> unless
>
> > pumped and nearby river flows 40 feet below. Elevation
> at
>
> > the site is 560 feet this also indicates Coca Cola
> site is
>
> > located at the foothills of Western Ghats . Generally
> ground
>
> > and surface water runs downstream fast around
> foothills or
>
> > in other words have low holding capacity. As an
> Inventor
>
> > & Engineer my guess is that Coca Cola selected a
> wrong
>
> > site and was perhaps misled by property dealers.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Allegations like
>
> > release of Cadmium and Lead by Coca Cola is absolute
>
> > rubbish. It is the complainants who are to provide
> evidence.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > “Supreme Court
>
> > Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Waste Coca Cola, as
> the
>
> > single most largest extractor of ground water
> extracting at
>
> > the highest rate, largest transporter of water to the
>
> > outside through softdrinks, a non-essential luxury
> good,
>
> > contributed the largest to the depletion of ground
>
> > water” is the most stupid comment I have read.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Average rate of
>
> > water extraction (5 lakh liters per day) is 20,000
> liters
>
> > per hour or 6 liters per second- a quarter of my 5 HP
>
> > tube-well in my farm. Coca Cola is converting water in
> to
>
> > soft that is priced Rs.20,000 per kiloliter. Amount of
> water
>
> > required to produce a kilogram of rice worth Rs.20 is
> 5
>
> > kiloliter in Kerala. This means daily water extraction
> by
>
> > Coca Cola if supplied to Rice farms would produce 100
> kg of
>
> > rice per day worth Rs.2000 or annual value of
> Rs.7,30,000.
>
> > But rice can’t be grown 365 days in a year normally
> we get
>
> > only one crop so actual production comes to 14,000 kg
> from
>
> > 140 days and farmers may be raising vegetables or
> other
>
> > crops. But retail value of soft drinks is around Rs.6
>
> > million per day or Rs. 200 crores annually.
>
> >
>
> > Soft Drinks are
>
> > essential in India considering poor quality of potable
> water
>
> > supply particularly in serving guests. My family
> avoids soft
>
> > drinks and has water purifier but guests prefer soft
> drinks
>
> > in summer. By the way cost of mineral water in small
> packing
>
> > is more than equivalent content in large soft drink
> bottles.
>
> > A 150ml to 250 ml mineral water pack cost Rs.5 and a 2
> liter
>
> > in glass bottle cost Rs.40.
>
> >
>
> > Yes soft drinks
>
> > has very high sugar content harmful for diabetic,
> sugar free
>
> > products are also available but its real benefit is
> in
>
> > avoiding spread of water borne diseases. Millions
> avoid
>
> > water borne diseases by consuming soft drinks on
> travel by
>
> > rail and road every day. 20 million travel in trains
> every
>
> > day. It is important to mention here Mineral Water or
>
> > bottled water business is booming growing much faster
> than
>
> > soft drinks and Coke & Pepsi & Parle are
> leading in
>
> > this business.
>
> >
>
> > Water required to
>
> > produce 1 kg of rice in Kerala produces about 3,000
> liters
>
> > of bottled water retailed for Rs. 30,000 when rice is
>
> > retailed for Rs. 20.
>
> >
>
> > Exports of soft
>
> > drinks by Coca Cola to other states priced Rs.20 per
> liter
>
> > containing 95% water is good for Kerala may be earning
> Rs.50
>
> > crores to Rs.100 crores annually but that foolish
> leaders
>
> > have stopped besides loss of jobs.
>
> >
>
> > I have developed
>
> > inventions for water saving technologies and asked
> Coke
>
> > & Pepsi for Collaboration at seminars but didn’t
> get
>
> > any response.
>
> >
>
> > Ravinder Singh
>
> >
>
> > March01,
>
> > 2009
>
> >
>
> > From: S Faizi [mailto: ecol...@dataone.in]
>
> > (Environmental Expert Member: Kerala Groundwater
>
> > Authority; Chairman: Indian Biodiversity
>
> > Forum)
>
> >
>
> > To: -
>
> > 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
> sometimes
>
> > 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
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> Connect with friends all over the world. Get
> Yahoo! India Messenger at http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/?wm=n/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Bobby Kunhu http://community.eldis.org/myshkin/Blog/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
>
>
>
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