Feature Article

• The Chinese government has postponed an auction that would have allowed foreign companies to bid for licences to hunt wild animals following a public backlash. The auction would have allowed

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The sponge iron industry is growing fast and polluting alarmingly. K Radhika in Chhattisgarh and Maureen Nandini Mitra in Jharkhand and Orissa examine the problem

Sponge iron is nothing but reduced iron ore. In fact, people first started manufacturing iron through this route. This technology is, therefore, rightly termed iron-age technology. Sponge iron is

The rampant growth of sponge iron plants has caused major environmental problems. Local people, usually tribals, have borne the brunt

In Rugritoli hamlet in the Barpalli village of the Sundergarh district in Orissa, black dust cakes everything, from furniture to food grain to skin. Outdoors, greyish smoke spews from chimneys of

Governments and industrialists lie and use pressure tactics to acquire land for their plants. But they often face stiff protests

Villagers of Chourenga have actually managed to stop a plant from coming up after nine months of protests with 85 per cent of the plant already constructed. When people came to their village asking

Newly formed states such as Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are leaving no stones unturned to get the tag of "developed states'. And to get this tag, they are industrialising rapidly, putting at stake the basic livelihoods of people. The regulatory structure is, however, weak. Gautam Bandopadhyaya of the Nadi Ghati Morcha says, "Industrialisation is chaotic. Zones are coming up without any evaluation of whether the area has the required resources, like water and power, to support industries and the people living in the region.

Environment impact assessments (EIAs) and the process for clearing projects in Chhattisgarh don't inspire faith. Jindal Steel and Power Limited's (JSPL's) expansion is a case in point. The plant