Stir against gold unit enters 1000th day at Kakkanchery

KOZHIKODE: The protest against the upcoming private gold manufacturing unit on the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Developmental Corporation (Kinfra) campus at Kakkanchery  entered the 1000th day on Thursday. The ‘Kakkanchery parisara samrakshana samiti’   observed a hunger strike before the unit which was  inaugurated by former minister Kutty Ahamed Kutty. A candle light protest was also held. The unit has  allegedly delayed the commencement of  an American-based nutrition manufacturer and supplier, Essen Fooddies India Pvt. Ltd., at the food park as it is likely to be denied clearance owing to the violation of the food category guidelines. 

“As per the project report we obtained through RTI,  the gold manufacturing unit will purify 200 kg of gold daily and  it comes under the red category industry. But the authorities have  now shifted it to the green category on dubious grounds,” alleges A. Balakrishnan, KPSS president. KPSS says that the unit  had  secretly functioned at Thiruvannoor and the locals had forced its closure  due to the smoke emanating  from it. The samiti says that there are many houses, mosques and shops within the 100-metre distance of the upcoming unit. The High Court had stayed the building construction of the unit as per a  KPSS petition.  

The samiti leaders rue that though the political parties are against the unit at  the local level, it is not  case at the higher level. “During the previous ministry, the then Opposition party told us that the unit would be disposed of  if they were in power. But nothing happened after they came to power,” lamented a leader. The industries department had approved the licence for the gold manufacturing unit in 2013 and it had completed 80 percent of the first phase construction.