Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Energy
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nuclear power corporations to set up giant nuclear parks in the country is just another of these<br />
policies, though it is undoubtedly amongst the most disastrous with consequences that will plague<br />
us for thousands of years.<br />
Part II: India on SALE<br />
Let us take a brief look at the kind of policies being implemented by the government of<br />
India to enable MNCs and Indian corporate houses to earn multi-billion dollar profits. dccxix<br />
Robber Capitalism: The tribal districts of the states of Orissa, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh are home<br />
to much of the country’s forests and minerals. With the naked connivance of the politicians, police,<br />
bureaucracy and the courts, corporations have unleashed a fascist reign of terror on the people of<br />
these states, in order to drive them out and seize control of their lands, cut down the forests, and set<br />
up mining projects, huge steel, iron and aluminum plants, and ultra mega thermal power plants.<br />
Real estate speculators are also participating in this huge land grab, to set up IT parks, golf courses<br />
and five star hotels. Investments to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees are expected into these poor<br />
rich states.<br />
Urban Real Estate Loot: The country's metropolises have the potential of attracting billions of<br />
dollars of investments in hotels, airports, malls, stadiums, metro rails, flyovers and other urban<br />
infrastructure. But for that, land is needed. Where does that come from? The palatial houses of the<br />
rich cannot be touched. The only alternative is to evict the poor from the slums, which occupy a<br />
considerable portion of the land in the cities. So they are being bulldozed out.<br />
Great Land Grab: In one of the greatest land grabs in modern Indian history, hundreds of<br />
thousands of hectares of agricultural land is being transferred to private industry to set up Special<br />
Economic Zones (SEZs). Investors in the SEZs are being given the most amazing concessions: no<br />
import duties; no controls on imports and profit repatriations; 100% tax holiday for 5-10 years, and<br />
what not. Labour laws and environmental laws will not be applicable to these zones. The<br />
Development Commissioner of the SEZ will function like a virtual dictator of the area – Indian<br />
democracy will end at the border of these zones! The government has even declared that these areas<br />
will be considered as foreign territories for the purpose of trade operations, duties and tariffs – the<br />
foreigners now no longer have to come with arms to win trade concessions!!<br />
Global Garbage Dump: In its feverish desire to promote foreign investments, the government is<br />
allowing the country to be transformed into a toxic and garbage waste dump of the developed<br />
countries. Since e-waste recycling is a very hazardous industry which contaminates the soil and<br />
groundwater, and causes severe health problems to the workers, the government is allowing<br />
developed countries to ship their waste to India – to the extent that over 70% of the electronic waste<br />
generated in the developed world is now coming to India. India is also the toxic waste dump of<br />
world shipping: toxic ships from around the world, contaminated with thousands of tons of deadly<br />
chemicals, are brought to Alang in Gujarat, the world’s largest ship-breaking yard, to be broken up.<br />
As if this was not enough, the country is also becoming the household waste dump of the developed<br />
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