Skip to main content

Green signal to Hyderabad pharma city or to ash, muck, pollution and misery?

By Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi, Dr K Babu Rao, Dr Lubna Sarwath*
Hyderabad Pharma city being established by the Telangana government is a move towards establishing a toxic city. By going ahead with it Telangana industries minister KT Rama Rao is neglecting the travails of pharma pollution victims. Pharma exports will earn mountains of profits for a few, while Telangana residents would end up with ash, muck, pollution and misery. 
Unfortunately, this kind of development has not been questioned by political parties. Before projecting the Hyderabad Pharma City as an answer to Covid-19 pandemic, the minister needs to prove that the existing pharma industry has indeed improved the health of Hyderabad and Telangana residents. The present pathetic state of alarming spread and governance chaos confirms contrary to the projected claim of the minister.
It is quite unfortunate that during a review on Hyderabad Pharma city, the minister has projected this project as an answer to Covid-19 pandemic. It suggests lack of awareness on corona virus. It would have been better, if they had done a critical review of conditions that led to corona pandemic and listened to the science.
A false promise of putting Hyderabad on the international map through setting up Hyderabad Pharma city ignores the fact that this city is already up there on the international map for several reasons, including severe pharma pollution and existence of anti-microbial resistant bacteria in its water bodies.
Telangana was and is suffering immensely from industrial pollution, particularly by pharmaceutical companies. Our rivers, lakes and ground water are getting polluted severely. Several studies by national and international institutions have shown that hazardous chemicals have completely contaminated our ground water reserves. Several villages, in Medak, Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Mahbubnagar districts, are facing this problem.
The health of villagers is seriously and severely affected. Their livelihoods are vanishing, and in general, poverty is on the rise. At this stage, it would be foolish to invite and establish more pharmaceutical units. Expansion of existing companies is also not recommended.
The Hyderabad Pharma City project at Medipally is a disaster in making. Local people have been opposing this pharma city project. This project has the potential to destroy local natural resources, including agricultural lands, ground water reserves, vegetation, tanks, lakes and other water resources. Pharma city can never be a harbinger of hopes and dreams of local people.
Pharmaceutical companies across the state of Telangana, as experience shows, have negative impact on local economy, eroding resources and destroying livelihoods. Instead of providing and enhancing local employment, they have destroyed local professions and have always been averse to provide employment to local people. Local environment is severely and irreversibly degraded due to effluents and emissions from the pharma industry.
Pharma pollution victims are sadly ignored by the Telangana government, Congress, BJP, Communists, Telangana Jana Samithi and other political parties. Political parties need to question the Telangana government's definition of development which means polluting Telangana's natural resources, pushing rural people into poverty and enabling profits for a few through pharma exports with horribly polluting technologies.
US and European pharma industry has stopped producing many drugs due to severe restrictions on pollution. Pharma industry here is making profits at the cost of nature and people. Who has been better off by pharma exports? What are the pharma products which have been useful, for the ill in Telangana villages? Is the cost of medicine low in Telangana? Is it less than other places?
History suggests that there is no use for the people here with concentration of pharma industry in Telangana. Pharma pollution and unbridled profits was mentioned as one of the factors during Telangana movement.
Pharma pollution victims are sadly ignored by Telangana government, Congress, BJP, Communists, TJS, other political parties
In fact, while inviting new pharma industries, the Telangana industries minister seems to lack understanding and knowledge of a scenario, wherein pharma industries are exploiting local resources, causing injustice to the people of Telangana, with no punishment for pollution and near absence of regulation on their activities.
The industries minister and officials who lack commitment towards democratic governance are also misusing precious public funds by setting up Hyderabad Pharma city facilitating pollution of pristine and virgin areas. There is no improvement in the health index of Hyderbadis and Telangana due to local pharma industry. Damages to the environment, natural resources and people due to existing pharma industries is huge, which would doubled tripled by establishing Hyderabad Pharma City.
It should be noted that the Jawahar Pharma City was established at Parawada near Visakhapatnam with the same objectives as high powered committee (HPC) claiming latest technologies for treating pollution and centralized facilities. Since 2013, there have been 25 major accidents with 23 deaths and 73 severely injured. Polepally chemical SEZ also had several explosions and fires killing workers and damaged local ecology.
The state government should scrap Hyderabad Pharma City project, as per environmental norms, current scenario and people’s aspirations. Telangana people will intensify their agitation against this project. The government should assess the irreversible loss done to the natural resources and to the people of the pharma industry belt.
All political parties should assess the current Telangana growth model. Each of them should make a clear, unambiguous statement on Hyderabad Pharma growth. A fund, starting with Rs 1,500 crore, could be established to compensate pharma industry victims in Telangana, protect public health, livelihoods and local natural resources. In fact, the Telangana industrial policy itself should be reviewed.
---
*Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi is with the Citizens Against Pollution, Hyderabad; Dr K Babu Rao is former chief scientist, Hyderabad; Dr Lubna Sarwath is state general secretary, Socialist Party (India), Hyderabad

Comments

Sandhya Naidu said…
I agree 100% with Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi. Yes, the Pharma City may look something huge to urban people, but the damage it is causing to mother earth is very annoying.

Though Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi has told what he feels, will the government really listen? It will never, all people now are into is business and make money schemes. They want people to think that some thing great is happening.

What are the doing for the farmers? Shame on the government, its not about Telangana, its every state. We Indians have been an example to the world and now with the word TECH every thing has changed.

This is the only reason i have purchased Best Farm Lands below 10 Lakhs Around Hyderabad . I have invested in farm lands that are located in a beautiful village ..panthangi.

I hope people do understand the destruction., Thanks for the article.

TRENDING

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Astonishing? Violating its own policy, Barclays 'refinanced' Adani Group's $8 billion bonds

By Rajiv Shah  A new report released by two global NGOs, BankTrack and the Toxic Bonds Network, has claimed to have come up with “a disquieting truth”: that Barclays, a financial heavyweight with a “controversial” track record, is deeply entrenched in a “disturbing” alliance with “the Indian conglomerate and coal miner Adani Group.”

Junk food push causing severe public health crisis of obesity, diabetes in India: Report

By Rajiv Shah  A new report , “The Junk Push: Rising Consumption of Ultra-processed foods in India- Policy, Politics and Reality”, public health experts, consumers groups, lawyers, youth and patient groups, has called upon the Government of India to check the soaring consumption of High Fat Sugar or Salt (HFSS) foods or ultra-processed foods (UPF), popularly called junk food.

Modi govt intimidating US citizens critical of abuses in India: NY Christian group to Biden

Counterview Desk  the New York Council of Churches for its release of an open letter calling on the Biden administration to “speak out forcefully” against rising Hindu extremist violence targeting Christians and other minorities in India. In the letter addressed to President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other major elected officials, the NY Council of Churches expressed "grave concern regarding escalating anti-Christian violence" throughout India, particularly in Manipur, where predominantly Christian Kuki-Zo tribals have faced hundreds of violent attacks on their villages, churches, and homes at the hands of predominantly Hindu Meitei mobs.

Link India's 'deteriorating' religious conditions with trade relations: US policymakers told

By Our Representative  Commissioners on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) raised concerns about the “sophisticated, systematic persecution” of religious minorities by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a hearing on India in Washington DC.

Green revolution "not sustainable", Bt cotton a failure in India: MS Swaminathan

MS Swaminathan Counterview Desk In a recent paper in the journal “Current Science”, distinguished scientist PC Kesaven and his colleague MS Swaminathan, widely regarded as the father of the Green Revolution, have argued that Bt insecticidal cotton, widely regarded as the continuation of the Green Revolution, has been a failure in India and has not provided livelihood security for mainly resource-poor, small and marginal farmers. Sharply taking on Green Revolution, the authors say, it has not been sustainable largely because of adverse environmental and social impacts, insisting on the need to move away from the simplistic output-yield paradigm that dominates much thinking. Seeking to address the concerns about local food security and sovereignty as well as on-farm and off-farm social and ecological issues associated with the Green Revolution, they argue in favour of what they call sustainable ‘Evergreen Revolution’, based on a ‘systems approach’ and ‘ecoagriculture’. Pointing ou

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Jharkhand: Attempt to create red scare for 'brutal crackdown', increase loot of resources

Counterview Desk  The civil rights group Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization in a statement on plans to crackdown on “64 democratic progressive organisations” in Jharkhand under the pretext of the need to investigate their Maoist link, has alleged that this an attempt to suppress dissent against corporate loot and create an authoritarian state.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.