PANJIM: All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Goa State Committee on Wednesday condemned the firing by Tamil Nadu Police on unarmed peaceful demonstrators protesting Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper Unit in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.
“Instead of addressing their concerns, the Tamil Nadu administration and the government declared the crowd unlawful by imposing Section 144 and ordered the police to disperse the demonstrations by lathi-charge and firing. This is a heinous crime and the perpetrators must be brought to justice,” AITUC general secretary Christopher Fonseca said.
He added, “Treating the peaceful demonstrators as ‘criminals’ is anti-democratic and anti-constitutional. AITUC vehemently condemns the reckless and brutal firing.”
He further said that Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper unit was producing 4 lakh tonnes of copper annually and has plans to expand production to 8 lakh tonnes annually by 2020.
AITUC also said the government must own the responsibility of utilising these natural resources for the development of the National Economy, in the interest of the people and for the benefit of the society and not just providing for super-profits to private corporate houses who are unmindful of the peoples’ genuine concerns, needs of their lives, and violate environmental laws.
