The Hindu Business Line : Review closure order on HIL, say trade unions

THE Save HIL Samyukta Trade Union Samithy, a joint forum of trade unions at the public sector Hindustan Insecticides Ltd (HIL), has demanded that the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC) on hazardous waste should re-examine its order directing HIL to stop operations for five years as well as to restore the natural environment before it was allowed reopen with a fresh, environment-friendly product mix.

Mr K.N. Gopinath, President of the HIL Employees' Union, urged the Union and State Governments to intervene immediately so as to help the public sector company, which is in the process of implementing several recommendations made by the SCMC to contain pollution and to improve the standards of safety.

Addressing a press meet here on Friday, Mr Gopinath said HIL, in the midst of some financial crisis, had spent Rs 5.5 crore to renovate its endosulfan plant following the orders of SCMC. The company had also contributed Rs 1 lakh towards cleaning up of the Kuzhikkandam creek in Eloor as ordered by the Committee. The money was handed over to the Eloor panchayat that has been asked to clean up the ecologically sensitive and important water body in the area.

HIL had also transferred 30 cents of land to the State Government to set up a fire-fighting station to ensure that there was adequate preparedness in case of a fire in the Eloor area that is dotted with several industrial units.

The public sector company that manufactures both DDT and endosulfan is also building a secure landfill facility for hazardous waste at a cost of Rs 30 lakh, he said.

Besides, the company had contributed Rs 5 lakh towards setting up of a centralised hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility at the FACT premises in Ambalamugal. Another Rs 5 lakh would be contributed in the second stage of the project, he said.

According to Mr Gopinath, the Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board had visited the HIL plant in March and had issued a certificate of satisfaction with the way the company had implemented the measures recommended by the SCMC.

The trade union leaders of other political factions, who also attended the press meet, expressed dismay at the order that had spared the HIL units in Maharashtra and Punjab. HIL has about 500 employees on its rolls and provides indirect employment to 500 others, they added.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, has convened a meeting of all concerned on the issue next Wednesday in the State capital.

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