THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, 19 June 2002,
Move to set up PVC plant at Cuddalore opposed
Express News Service

Cuddalore, June 18: Environmental activities and
local people have opposed the move to set up the Rs.
500 crore Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plant by the
Chemplast Sanmar Limited.
The district administration recently conducted a
public interactive meeting on the Sipcot-II premises
here to elicit the views of the people on the proposed
plant.
Chemplast officials provided details of the proposed
plant and the marine terminal facility (MTF) at
Cuddalore at the meeting.
The plant and MTF are proposed to be set up with
financial assistance from the International Finance
Corporation and the World Bank.
The marine terminal is required to import vinyl
chloride monomer (VCM) for the plant. The production
capacity of the plant is estimated to be 1.70 lakh
tones per annum. About 100 acres of land has been
earmarked for the plant.
The plant proposes to adopt Belgium ëinvoylí
technology to convert VCM to PVC. Chemplast further
proposes to pump the VCM from the marine terminal
facility through a pipeline constructed on the seabed
and land up to the plant.
The company has planned to build an island jetty on
the sea to offload the raw materials for the plant.
The plant requires heavy ground water and power that
would be supplied by SIPCOT.
The plant requires a ëno objection certificateí from
Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board and
Environmental clearance from the Ministry of
Environment and Forests. The Marine terminal facility
requires CRZ clearance from the Coastal Zone
Management Authority.
Navroz Mody of Greenpeace India, Pondichery, opposed
to the setting up of the plant saying that PVC and VCM
would release dioxins. He said the emissions would
expose local people to cancer.
M. Nizamuddin, general secretary of the FEDCOT,
opposed the move to set up the plant on the basis of
the reports of the Nagpur-based National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the State
Human Rights Commission.
Cuddalore panchayat union chairman P. Themeraikannan
said that the plant would pose a threat to the health,
livelihood and security of the local people. Already
people had been facing problems due to pollution
caused by the existing industries, he added.
Rotary club member Jayanthi said the project would
provide jobs to a 100 people at the best and added
that she would welcome the proposal if it provided
jobs to large number of the unemployed.
Pasumai Thaayagam rejected the proposal saying that it
would jeopardise the interests of farmers and
fishermen living around the SIPCOT.
Balki of Consumer organization said ëthe plant
required huge quantities of water and it is difficult
to provide such quantities.î
Chemplast staff however claimed that all precautions
had been taken to use and recycle VCM to the maximum
extent. They further claimed that no damage would be
caused to the environment.
Collector S. Thangasamy conducted the meeting. The
TNPCB would send a report on the proceedings to the
Centre and State Government.
THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, 19 June 2002, CHENNAI, India.
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