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[1] From: Pradeep Deshpande <proton54@hathway.com> Date: Mon Sep 5, 2005 Subject: Re: [indiathinkersnet] River Saraswati a BIG HOAX (VT Rajashekar) instead of wasting public exchequer money on discovering a legendry river named Saraswati, thought be given to inter linking of some rivers to tackle water scarcity in near future. Original Message ----- From: "Mukul Dube" <arhardal@...> Subject: Re: [indiathinkersnet] River Saraswati a BIG HOAX (VT Rajashekar) ---------------------- [2] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Mon Sep 5, 2005 Subject: REGIONAL CONVENTION ON SPONGE IRON s Press Release ???No more sponge iron factories??™, this was the demand put forth by a group of 50 people belonging to various organisations, peoples movement from 3 states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand after a day long meeting. Individuals belonging to different non-governmental organisations, autonomous peoples??™ movements, media groups from Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand came together on1st September 2005 in a regional meeting in Bubaneswar,Orissa to discuss the adverse impacts of the growing sponge iron factories on the livelihoods and environment of these regions. Sponge iron also known as direct reduced iron is extracted from iron ore and is used in the making of steel. With the rise in the global demand for steel over the past few years the sponge iron industry has also seen a boom. China is the one consuming large amounts of this steel as a part of its infrastructure building for the Beijing Olympics 2008 and Shanghai expo 2010. India is one of the hot spots for iron ore extraction and is the largest producer of sponge iron in the world today. The Central Eastern belt of the country including the states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal is the key region for the growth of this industry. The protests in these states have come up on the issues of land grabbing by these industries, especially in tribal areas; and air and water pollution in turn impacting local livelihoods. A preliminary study conducted by Sagar Dhara, an environmental Engineer, in Sukrili block of Mayurbhanj district, Orissa, in 2001 indicated carcinogenic contents in the discharge of Shivshakti Sponge Iron Plant. A movement opposing the plant that was initiated by the local women under the banner of Orissa Nari Samaj gained momentum in the area at the time. Sagar Dhara, pointing out the environmental hazards of these plants said ???Sponge Iron plants release hazardous pollutants like cadmium, nickel, hexavalent chromium (most dangerous through air and water), arsenic, manganese, and copper. The heavy metals in these particulate matters are most dangerous and can cause quick damage to fruit bearing trees, agricultural harvest and the human body especially the lungs???. . In India 60% of the sponge iron units are small scale industries and many of them are under the unorganized sector. This, on one hand means that there is no protection to the rights of those who work as labour in these plants and on the other, that they lack the capacities to deal with hazardous waste from the point of view of prevention of pollution. The Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association of Orissa claims that 37 000 people have been employed in these plants. On the other hand a study conducted by a group called Orissa Jan Sangathan indicates that almost 2 lakh people are affected adversely by these plants in 6 districts of Orissa. In Chhattisgarh, the state government in the last five years has signed a series of MoUs with various industries for the production of sponge Iron. Leading amongst these is the Jindal Power and Steel limited which also happens to be the world??™s largest producer of coal based sponge iron with a plant of 650,000 TPA capacity based in Raigarh town. Ramesh Agrawal, a resident of Raigarh and also an activist said that 50 sponge iron plants exist with a radius of 15 kilometers of Raigarh town. The past year has witnessed growing unrest in the town as well as rural areas due to the pollution caused by these plants. In an effort to express this protest, about 10000 people mobilized for the Environmental Public hearing held for expansion of the Jindal Steel sponge iron plant in the district. ???The District Pollution board blatantly violated all norms and guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Environment and Forests while conducting the hearing. And inspite of consistent opposition and efforts to draw attention of the state authorities and the ministry to this fact, the Centre recently granted clearance to the expansion project.??? People expressed disappointment with use of judicial processes and mechanisms for recognition of their environment and livelihood rights. The struggle of Chauranga, a village near Raipur, the state capital managed to instill inspiration. Rama Shankar Chauhan, of Chauranga, narrated how their village managed to stop a sponge iron plant from coming up in their area. Said Chauhan ???Almost 90% of the construction work was complete when we started realizing that this plant might not be good for our village. We had the experience of the neighbouring village where such a plant had affected grazing grounds and agriculture produce and fields. We had daily meetings and made a strategy for stopping the work. While the administration did not support us, after consistent opposition, the company owner realized that he would not be able to run the factory and decided to withdraw.??? The story of Jharkhand was no different from the other two states. ???So far 57 plants have been registered. Many are in the pipeline. 3 companies are bidding for captive mines as well as captive power plants along with SI plants??? said an activist of Mines, minerals and People, an NGO. While the Jharkhand Industrial Policy 2001 talks of special incentives for industries like exemption from environmental clearance, there is no policy for how they would contribute to the local economy or adhere to pollution control practices. One of these practices includes the installation of a technology called Electro Static Precipitators (ESP) in the stacks of the plant to control air pollution. Most of the plants have not installed this and even if any have running it is expensive because of its heavy consumption of power. ???The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh has assured that no more MoUs for SI Plants would be signed and that ESPs would be made compulsory for all plants. Despite this things continue to be the same??? said Gautam Bandhopadhyaya, an activist of the Nadi Ghati Mukti Morcha, Chhattisgarh. The meeting ended with the participants resolving to strengthen the mobilization against Sponge Iron Plants and plan a demonstration in Raipur in the winter session of the parliament with the slogan ???No more sponge iron???. The groups also concluded that there is a need to look at the issue of the sponge iron industry in the larger context of selling out of natural resources to domestic and foreign companies by the state without considering the impact on the local population and economy. ----------------------- [3] From: Regi P George <george_regi@yahoo.com> Date: Mon Sep 5, 2005 Subject: The songbird who sings of revolution Subject: The songbird who sings of revolution (about Balladeer Gaddar) http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/31spec1.htm The songbird who sings of revolution Syed Amin Jafri | August 31, 2005 | 13:29 IST With the Naxal issue back in the news and the peace process between the Maoist rebels and the Andhra Pradesh government having failed, here's a look at one of the most enigmatic figures of the ultra-red bastion, the folk singer Gaddar.? ---------------------- [4] Pradeep Deshpande <proton54@hathway.com> Re: Katrina and after .. So, the Tryst with destiny has made you to have some nightmeres. You have avoided the contents as your bunch of thought may have no answers for them. Pl. skip it. As for katrina hurricane , US Govt. is capable of tackling her natural disaster. Govt. of India has offered some help .People around are also trying to contribute their might on humanitarian ground. Your observation that India has tackled such problems in an able manner regardless of the fact that we have no well devised disaster management plan is true to some extent. .People try to overcome such situations on their own. Not a single political party, bolly wood crorepatis not RSS came to the aid of people in Mumbai during 26-27th July havoc But . working hindu, muslims and christians joined hands to help one another to overcome the problem created by the nexus of builder lobby , political parties (except left) and beaurocrats and 95% of them are HINDOOS The fact you missed is that the Church etc. are mainly white run religious agencies and those affected by the Katrina are mainly blacks ! The Churchwallas, Mullas/maulavis and Brahmins/swamis and mahants are all new avatars of fundamentalists in their respective nations when they try to divide and rule the people on religious, communal, ethnic and racial grounds whether it's natural or manmade disaster. And what makes you think that Americans are saints ?Their goondaism against Iraq and Afghnaistan for control over oil fields has been lot praised by the extreme right wings back in India right when it was unleashed . We have coiled serpents in our minds and deeds ;they uncoil when necessary ;they have uncoiled in New orleans now out of fright and insecurity -deaths . They uncoil in India when communal riots are ignited ... against muslims, christians and dalits .obcs. women . It brings both the US and us at par . ........ ----- Original Message ----- To: "Pradeep Deshpande" <proton54@hathway.com Sent: Monday, S eptember 05, 2005 1 Subject: Re: Tryst with destiny.. Physician, heal thyself first! Posted September 4, 2005 Swapan Dasgupta Daily Pioneer Sept 05 2005 It may sound callous, but the truth is that the thousands of middle class Indians who sat glued to CNN watching and discussing, of all things, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, weren't remotely driven by a sense of Christian charity or Hindu compassion. On the contrary, you could detect their smirk at the descent of the American Dream into a Third World nightmare. Don't get me wrong, the Indian viewer wasn't gloating at the possible discomfiture of President George W Bush or echoing the global warming alarmism of the ayatollahs of environmentalism. There was just a quiet satisfaction that a country which believes in its divine right to offer gratuitous advice to everyone on every conceivable subject was now being shown up with its pants down. BBC World, the world's most infuriatingly sanctimonious TV channel, didn't need to lace its footage with the sepulchral voice that accompanies every calamity in 'Bungler-dish' and sub-Saharan Africa. The chaos of New Orleans was the worst advertisement for Western civilisation in a very long time. It is not merely that India manages its disasters, from the Orissa super-cyclone and Gujarat earthquake to last year's tsunami in Tamil Nadu, much more effectively. Narendra Modi, for example, should have got his own back by offering the services of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority to the State of Louisiana. What we witnessed on real time TV wasn't merely a demonstration of administrative sloth, political panic and social disarray in one American city. In the unhinged, profane rantings of the Mayor of New Orleans we witnessed the demolition of some of the most fundamental assumptions of the American Dream. Most striking was the widespread demonstration of criminality. Every disaster leads invariably to some looting and lawlessness. Even the folklore around the Blitz in London, 1940, cannot wash away the fact that some people took advantage of someone else's misfortune. However, what was witnessed in New Orleans wasn't just crime; it was the descent of a city into complete anarchy. The organised armed gangs looting empty houses and ransacking shops, the widespread instances of rape and the desertion of one-third of the police force, made New Orleans resemble a Central African town in the throes of regime change. It is said that the goonda-raj was a result of helplessness. Some 70,000 people packed into a baseball stadium without drinking water and toilet facilities can easily forget the importance of decency and gentlemanly conduct. Yet, what I find inexplicable is why there weren't armies of volunteers bringing food, water and medicines into New Orleans. In the aftermath of every flood or earthquake in India, we see home-grown organisations such as the Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevasram Sangh, RSS and assorted Rotary Clubs taking charge of emergency services and complementing the Government machinery. Have voluntary agencies disappeared from the US? Are American NGOs only for export? More significant was the irrelevance of Church bodies. The evangelists who litter the landscape of the Deep South are cash-rich and have an amazing knack of turning up at odd places promising deliverance. How come we didn't hear of them providing solace to their flock and engaging in Christian charity in New Orleans? There are reports that the few charity workers who turned up beat a hasty retreat after being threatened. What does this reveal about the supposed importance of Christian values in the civic life of America? And to imagine US evangelists have the gumption to preach to Indians. What was equally striking was the horrific lack of compassion for both humans and animals. The Daily Telegraph reported a Baptist hospital turning away homeless survivors from the deluge at gunpoint. "They would not even let us into the parking lot." The Washington Times described how a distraught boy was forcibly separated from his pet dog by the National Guards. In the past three days, American sanctimoniousness was busted. The message from the rest of the world is loud and clear: Physician, heal thyself first. --------------------------- [5] From: "editor@countercurrents.org" <editor@countercurrents.org> Date: Mon Sep 5, 2005 Subject: CC News Letter 05/09-The Silent Oil Crisis Hello Kindly forward this newsletter to your friends and encourage them to join this mailing list. http://www.countercurrents.org/subscribe.htm In Solidarity Binu The Silent Oil Crisis By James Howard http://www.countercurrents.org/po-howard050905.htm The oil crisis gets louder ??“ listen to it, talk about it, prepare for it ??“ it is out there, the tide is rising and rushing towards us Peak oil, Business As Usual,And Katrina By Bill Henderson http://www.countercurrents.org/po-henderson050905.htm Most oil producing countries have peaked: America, Norway, Venezuela, UK, Indonesia, Iran, etc.Most of the major oil companies have peaked: Chevron's production in the second quarter of 05 is down 6% from last year, for example; Exxon 5%; Shell 3%; Conoco 3%; and total 1% Katrina And America's Tipping Point By Abid Mustafa http://www.countercurrents.org/us-mustafa050905.htm In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and Bush's inept response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in New Orleans, the myth of America's super power status has been shattered Three-Fifths Relief By Remi Kanazi http://www.countercurrents.org/us-kanazi050905.htm We shouldn't be surprised how this administration is treating the poor and downtrodden in their time of crisis because this how they've always treated them. Scoffing at their necessity of health care and vital social programs, rewriting bankruptcy laws that help keep poor people poor An Ill Wind By Paul Harris http://www.countercurrents.org/us-harris050905.htm Everyone who is supposed to know about these things, knew that Katarina was coming. They didn??™t know her name, and they didn??™t know when to expect her, but they knew she was coming. They had known it for years Bush Scapegoats State, Local Officials By Joseph Kay http://www.countercurrents.org/us-kay050905.htm With the federal government coming under increasing criticism for its shocking display of indifference and negligence, the White House is seeking to transfer blame onto the backs of local and state authorities Receding Floodwaters Expose The Dark Side Of America By Jonathan Freedland http://www.countercurrents.org/us-freedland050905.htm The waters flow in and the waters flow out, washing away all that once lay on the surface -and revealing what lies beneath. So it is with all floods in all places, but now it is America which stands exposed. And neither America nor the world much likes what it sees The Dispossessed Of New Orleans Tell Of Their Medieval Nightmare By David Usborne http://www.countercurrents.org/us-usborne050905.htm "I do think the nation would be responding differently if they were white elderly and white babies actually dying on the street and being covered with newspapers and shrouds and being left there." If You Haven't Made A Donation Yet Do It NOW ! http://www.countercurrents.org/donate.htm Your Support Is Absolutely Necessary For Our Survival |
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