Pochampalli SIPCOT report flags economic distress among women

CHENNAI: A report on the impact of the Pochampalli SIPCOT industrial park located in Krishnagiri district and a study on the socio-economic and environmental transformations of marginalised communities were released here on Wednesday by the Forum of Indian Women Intellect, detailing the various aspects of the study.

"The primary objective of establishing the SIPCOT complex in Pochampalli in 1993 was to boost the industrial development of the region. However, when large-scale industrial projects are introduced, it becomes essential to examine their impact on the lives of local villagers and marginalised communities," said P Sivakami, founder of the forum.

The study revealed that the farmers and workers, especially women, earn meagre incomes. Farmers and agricultural daily-wage labourers have been enduring extreme economic distress for several decades now, it said.

The researchers assessed a series of concerns, including the extent of land and livelihood loss suffered by local populations during the SIPCOT land acquisition, analysed and compared whose living standards actually improved due to industrial growth, environmental degradation, labour dynamics, land and displacement.

"The ultimate outcomes of this study are oriented toward formulating actionable corporate social responsibility (CSR) recommendations for local panchayat leaders, the SIPCOT administration, and state regulatory bodies, while proposing alternative livelihood models for affected communities," said Sivakami.

She further said, "While official SIPCOT administrative records declare an acquisition compensation rate of Rs 43,000 per acre, the affected farmers uniformly testified that they received only between Rs 14,000 and Rs 17,000 per acre."

Meanwhile, SIPCOT authorities noted that compensation amounts contested or unclaimed by farmers are currently held as civil court deposits. And 100 per cent of land-losing respondents stated that the compensation was vastly inadequate and fell drastically below prevailing market values.