TIRUNELVELI: As over two months have passed since Sterlite’s copper smelter plant was closed in April, Many of the villagers living around the plant have started feeling the brunt of their yearlong protest that resulted in joblessness.
However the coastal community in Thoothukudi that never depend on any industry for their livelihood as the sea remains their major source of living, is strong in its stand against the private copper smelter plant.
For 40-year-old Deepa of South Veerapandipuram, the village before Kumareddiyapuram near Sterlite, who came to the district collectorate along with around 100 people on Monday, it was mixed sentiments. They said that they did speak in favour of anti-Sterlite sentiments recently.
But now Deepa said they feel the repercussion of the agitations as many of their men working in the plant have gone jobless.
“Since April we were jobless, and could not even pay the school fees of our children studying in the private schools at Thoothukudi,” said Rajaraman, who as a contract labour earned a monthly income of around Rs 18,000.
The 62-year-old Annalakshmi said that she along with her 70-year-old spouse, Muthusamy and six children have been living at South Veerapandipuram for more than 40 years hail and healthy. “Two of my sons worked in Sterlite for more than ten years now, left their family and children to Mumbai in search of a job,” regretted Annalakshmi.
She added that the elderly people and diabetic in the villages, who received free medical assistance at their doorstep, had to now travel for about ten-km to Thoothukudi city for the treatment at the government hospital.
Representatives from Pandarampatti village demand the district administration to ensure drinking water facility, which was earlier done by the Sterlite administration under their CSR programme. People from Kumareddiyapuram village too demanded drinking water and jobs. Saraswathy of the village, stating that only a section of their village protested against the plant, now demanded alternative jobs for their people.
It is to be noted that companies, which sourced sulphuric acid and phosphoric acids from Sterlite, too have now been affected severely as they are forced to buy these chemicals from suppliers outside Thoothukudi district for a higher price. Some of such companies too have suspended their operations following the non-availability of materials from the copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi.
Responding to the demands of the villagers around Sterlite, Thoothukudi district collector, Sandeep Nanduri said that the district administration has launched a new website, where the erstwhile employees of the copper smelter plant could register to get a job opportunity at the earliest.
“So far 120 employees of sterlite have registered themselves on the website seeking new jobs and 25 companies too have come forward to recruit eligible personnel,” he said, adding, that proposals to the tune of Rs eight crore has been sent to the state government to implement a special drinking water scheme through TWAD board in all the 15 villages around Sterlite.
The district collector explained that as per the recommendation of the high power committee the district administration has so far evacuated 1500 metric tonnes of sulphuric acid, 100 tonnes of phosphoric acid and around 600 loads of gypsum from the factory site.
“Steps have also been taken to maintain the green cover within the factory either by supplying water through TWAD board or the Thoothukudi city corporation as per the recommendation of the high power committee,” added, Mr. Sandeep Nanduri.
