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The South Asian Collective invites you to talk by Dr. Sandeep Pandey

Global capital, local liability: Impact of neoliberal policies on education and social mobilization in India

Date: 9th October, 2005
Venue: TBA
Time: 10:00 a.m.


About Sandeep Pandey
Sandeep Pandey has a PhD in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and while living in the USA founded Asha for Education, a very vibrant NGO that continues to do stellar work on education for under privileged children. Since moving back to India, he has been involved in setting up and running a school in rural Uttar Pradesh.

He has been active in empowering marginalized communities as well as working on issues of peace and justice. He has been a strong voice demanding de-nuclearization of South Asia and walked over 1000 KM from Pokhran - the site of India's nuclear tests - to Sarnath - the site of
the Buddha's first teachings, creating awareness regarding the impact of nuclearization. He has also been a strong advocate against religious violence and marginalization, actively working to build an atmosphere of religious pluralism. For all these efforts he was awarded the Magsasay Award in 2002 (one of the youngest awardees ever). The Magsasay Award is often described as Asia's Nobel Prize.

In Spring 2005, Sandeep Pandey organized a 1000 KM march from Delhi to Multan (in Pakistan) creating awareness through discussions and cultural programs on issues related to peace between India and Pakistan. This was the first extensive grass roots level interaction
between Indians and Pakistanis in five decades.

In addition, he is the National Convener of NAPM and in that role has been active in voicing the concerns of various communities against exploitation by various multi-national organizations and institutions in this era of globalization.

The ‘Shanghaification’ Of Mumbai

By Medha Patkar & Joe Athialy
11 August, 2005

Thousands of slum-dwellers in Mumbai were at the mercy of the elements when the Maharashtra government demolished their houses in February. An agitation, spearheaded by the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), demanded their rehabilitation and forced the government to concede to re-housing, albeit temporarily, all slum-dwellers who came to Mumbai before 2000. Welded into this issue were other aspects: the poverty that forced their migration into the metropolis; the right of the slum-dwellers to urban space and the attempts by politicians, bureaucrats, industrialists and even elite citizen’s groups to ‘prettify’ urban space and denude it of the poor. NAPM leader Medha Patkar was in the forefront of the protest to turn Mumbai into Shanghai at the cost of the city’s disadvantaged. In this interview, conducted soon after the conclusion of the agitation, she spoke extensively on the implications of this move:

What was the crux of the issues raised by those whose slums were demolished in Mumbai?

Read more at: http://www.countercurrents.org/hr-athialy110805.htm

Coke plant in Kerala to shut down

http://us.rediff.com/money/2005/aug/19coke.htm
August 19, 2005 18:54 IST

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board has ordered closure of soft drinks major Coca Cola's plant at Plachimada in Palakkad district. In its order, the Board held that the reply given by the company to its earlier notice on pollution standards of the plant had not been satisfactory, PCB sources said.

The Pollution Control Board had on July 1 issued a notice to the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Ltd, which runs the Plachimada plant, to reveal the source of cadmium in the sludge discharged from the plant.

The notice said cadmium was found in concentrations in excess of the permissible limit.

The notice had also pointed out that the plant had also not complied with its instructions to install reverse osmosis system for effluent treatment, which could help reduce groundwater abstractions and ensure that nearby wells were not contaminated by effluents.

In its closure notice issued to the company on Friday, the PCB noted that a kilogram of sludge generated by the company was found to be containing 200 tp 300 mg of cadmium, which was 400 to 600 per cent above the permissible limit.

The PCB also contended that the company had failed to notify it about changes in raw materials, production process, products, waste generation and waste quality while seeking renewal of licence for the plant.

The PCB order has come as a setback to the company at a time when it was getting ready to resume production after remaining closed for about two years.

The Kerala High Court had recently asked the Perumatty panchayat to allow the company to resume production.

The plant had been in the eye of a storm with local groups blaming the company for depleting groundwater sources in the area and causing pollution with the discharge of sludge containing heavy metals.

Support the Mumbai slum dwellers' struggle

Torrential rains and floods have brought the buzzing city of Mumbai to a halt. On July 26th, when rain water gushed into apartments and shops leaving all the railroads and streets clogged, the value of shelter became ever more apparent. As massive rains paralyzed Mumbai, the worst affected were the thousands of homeless people whose homes had been demolished earlier this year on the pretext of “beautifying” the city. Most of the displaced slum dwellers of Mumbai now live in make-shift huts or on the streets -- braving rains, floods and diseases. Instead of providing flood relief in such grave times, the police have confiscated food and other essentials from the evicted slum dwellers and have resorted to physical violence once again.
Financial and material assistance is required for the people of Mumbai who are now fighting infectious diseases such as Leptospirosis, and are in dire need of food, medicine and plastic sheets. For more information on flood relief efforts in Mumbai, please visit:
http://mumbai.aidindia.org/rains/napm-update-1st-august.html
As we celebrate the 58 th anniversary of India 's independence, we express our solidarity with the struggle of displaced slum dwellers of Mumbai and salute them for their unflinching spirit of resistance.
In struggle,
South Asian Collective