Industry condemns attack
M R Ajithkumar,ErnakulamRange IG, andCity policeCommissioner K G James inspect the spot after a nine-membergang vandalisedthe corporateoffice of Nitta Gelatinat PanampillyNagar in Kochi on Monday. (Photo: DC)
Kochi: While the body spearheading the agitation against Nitta Gelatin India Ltd's (NGIL) plant at Kathikudam denied any role in the attack on the company’s corporate headquarters in Kochi, the industry in the commercial capital of Kerala expressed shock over the incident.
“We have no connection with what happened in Kochi on Monday”, said Ms Sherly Paul, representing the Nitta Gelatin Action Council. “I came to know about the attack through TV”, she said.
Nitta Gelatin India Limited (NGIL) processes animal bones and makes essential ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry such as gelatin, ossein, di calcium phosphate and collagen peptide. Established in 1975 as Kerala Chemicals and Proteins Limited with Japanese technical knowhow, the Rs 300-cr company has two manufacturing plants in Kerala…in Kathikudam in Thrissur and Kakkanad in Ernakulam, apart from one each in Gujarat and Maharashtra. At present, Japanese multinational Nitta Gelatin holds 43 per cent equity in the publicly-listed company while the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, a Kerala Government PSU, holds 32 per cent.
The unit at Kathikudam on the banks of Chalakudi river has been facing the charge of polluting the water body. Local residents allege that the company has been discharging effluent from its manufacturing plant without proper treatment. The protests gained widespread support so much so that the Action Council got its candidate, Ms Paul, elected to the local body, defeating the candidates fielded by the UDF and the LDF.
Meanwhile, the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) expressed shock at the attack on Nitta Gelatin office. Pointing out that the company was a recipient of the ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management System, CCCI president C.S.Kartha said: “NGIL innovates eco-friendly products that require less energy. It cuts down on waste and carbon dioxide emission that contribute to global warming”. The chamber asked the Government to take immediate steps to arrest and punish the offenders.
The Ernakulam District Committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) also demanded action against those who carried out the attack. It said the police must ensure adequate security to the company’s units and the employees working there.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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