Sterlite Industries India Limited

In a pitched battle against primitive tribespeople -- the Dongria Kondhs -- environmentalists and human rights activists over rights to mine the sacred Niyamgiri hills for bauxite, Sterlite has managed to swing all Government and judicial decisions in its favour in the face of adverse reports, including by the Supreme Court's own Central Empowered Committee on forests. A copy of the report of the CEC is attached below. The project, initially floated by Sterlite, was later taken on by Vedanta Alumina, a company in which Sterlite has a minority stake. In 2007, the Supreme Court temporarily put the brakes on Vedanta Alumina's report after reading a highly adverse report by the Norwegian Council of Ethics (also attached below). Curiously, the Supreme Court stopped Vedanta Alumina from pursuing the mining proposal in light of the massive human rights and environmental violations alleged in the Norwegian report by its namesake and parent Vedanta. However, the Supreme Court itself asked the petitioner to return with a proposal by non-party Sterlite. This despite the fact that Sterlite is one of the key "violators" of environmental and human rights, and the law in the Norwegian report. The project is set to destroy the livelihood base of the Dongria Kondhs, disturb the sanctity of Orissa's last remaining patches of thick jungle and elephant habitat, and dry up the water sources, particularly the rivers Vamsadhara and Nagavalli. In a now infamous August 2008 judgment, the Supreme Court of India allowed Sterlite to mine the sacred hill Niyamagiri. A copy of the Supreme Court order is below.

What began as a proposal for a 2 million tonne per annum aluminum refinery will now be expanded to 5 mtpa at the Lanjigarh site in Kalahandi district of Orissa. More than 118 families from 7 villages were evicted to make way for the refinery, and 1236 families belonging to 27 villages have lost lands to the project.

On 25 April, 2009, a statutory public hearing was held for six-fold expansion of the smelter in Lanjigarh amidst massive police security for the company. Local witnesses report that despite massive opposition to the project to the point that the public hearing had to be abandoned due to it, Sterlite has reportedly circulated news in the media that the locals consented to the public hearing.

Sterlite subsidiary Hindustan Zinc Ltd's zinc-lead mines in Rampura-Aguncha, Rajasthan, is named as a big polluter by local agrarian communities. The Rampura Aguncha Mines Affected Farmers Association, representing farmers and cattle-herders, have complained to various authorities on a number of counts: a) that blast-mining is leading to cracks in the houses; b) that dust pollution is harming health, and contaminating food and water; c) that mining has led to a serious depletion in groundwater level leading to increased cost of agriculture and decline in agricultural output. d) that mines have expanded into village grazing lands and common lands, depriving cattle of their sole source of fodder, and herders of their sole source of income.

According to a February 9, 2009, newspaper report, Sterlite is poised to takeover the bankrupt US copper major Asarco. Asarco is plagued with lawsuits against the company's environmental degradation. The articles in the newspaper Livemint.com says "While Sterlite will be ring-fenced from the existing environment-related lawsuits, the fact that it would operate in a developed country may make it susceptible to similar lawsuits in the future." See The LiveMint article titled "Sterlite Shares Rise on Acquisition Talk", February 9, 2009.

Sterlite operates a copper smelter in Tuticorin, Tamilnadu, barely 15 kilometres from the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve -- a coral, and sea-grass rich area famed for its rich fisheries and dugong habitat. The company's setting up and operation has been marked by serious irregularities that expose the complicity of regulatory bodies, scientific agencies, and district administration officials. Records unearthed by activists using the Right to Information Act, 2005, reveal that the company has received numerous warnings for violations, but no action was taken, and that the company had consistently produced, and continues to produce, well beyond its licensed capacity. Records also indicate that Sterlite set up entirely new production facilities without any license to set them up. The fact that these were brought to the notice of the Supreme Court without effect casts a shadow of doubt over the integrity of the apex court. [Read attached report titled "Sterlite Case Study, Final, 14.12.2008.pdf"]