People, doctors talk of "Sterlite patches" on villagers' skins due to Thoothukudi copper plant pollution: Inquiry team

Counterview Desk
An independent team led by former judges of Bombay and Madras High Court, and consisting of former IAS and IPS bureaucrats, academics, journalists and activists, has found that people in Tuticorin district coined a new term -- Sterlite patch -- in order to identify the skin patch they believed was caused by environmental pollution caused by the notorious Sterlite copper smelter unit in the villages surrounding it.
The team -- which visited Tuticorin on June 2-3 in order to investigate the police firing against around 50,000 protesters against Sterlite, on May 22, leading to the death of 15 persons, and it's aftermath -- in its preliminary report has said, "People have cited cases of cancer, lung and breathing related hazards, which they attribute to Sterlite. Similarly, there is, in fact, a kind of ‘skin patch’, which is now notoriously called as Sterlite patch”.
Pointing out that the term Sterlite patch had become so common that even doctors use it at the time of diagnosis, the team found that doctors would ask patients "to leave the region", insisting on the need to have "a focussed health-based study in these villages". It adds, "People shared experiences that when they visit hospitals for cancer testing, the doctors would ask them whether they are from Sterlite region, clearly revealing their knowledge of such cases from the region."
"Some testimonies indicated that prospective grooms demanded health records of women prior to getting into marriage alliance", the team's 5,000-word report says, adding,it observed that "the local authorities have done nothing to organise a detailed health-based study, which could either prove the same or at least be used to allay the fears of the people, if the health hazard theory were not true."
Noting that villagers knew Sterlite was Rs 100 crore by the Supreme Court for polluting the environment, the report says, "For villagers, clearly, environment pollution means immediate health concerns to them. It is about life and death of villagers." It adds, people also cited "how every successful order against Sterlite got overruled subsequently. They suspect that money is playing a significant role."
The 23-person team, which called itself Coordinating Committee for People’s Inquest into Thoothukudi Police Firing, visited Thoothukudi and its suburbs. Those who were it's members included Justices (Retd) BG Kolse Patil and Hariparanthaman of Bombay and Madras High Courts respectively, former Haryana chief secretary MG Devasahayam, former Tamil Nadu additional chief secretary Christudoss Gandhi, former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar, top sociologist Shiv Visvanathan, forensic medicine expert Dr K Mathiharan, and others.
The team notes that Sterlite Copper started its operations in Tamil Nadu in 1996, and though it continued its "malpractices for many years", in "2013 the company was found releasing excessive sulphur dioxide". It adds, as a result, "many people who were living in the nearby area of the plant complained of health issues and even some women had miscarriage due to gas leakage."
The team regrets, "The Tamil Nadu Pollution Board has been really supportive of the Sterlite Copper action", and ordered the company to shut down only "for two and half months", adding, though it "set up an inquiry on the company", the National Green Tribunal "allowed the factory to resume production in 2013."
Pointing out that the May 22 protest was not an isolated event, the report says, "In February 2018, the anti-Sterlite movement gained momentum and on March 24, 2018, mobilized around 2 lakh people for protest. In March 2018, the plant was shut down for 15 days due to maintenance as the plant owners wanted to expand the capacity of the plant. The plant was not granted operating license beyond March 2018, due to non-compliance with environmental regulations."

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Search This Blog