KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday urged political parties and candidates contesting the assembly election to clearly inform the electorate and seek their mandate by assuring that, if elected, no entrepreneur in Kerala who has obtained all statutory clearances, including those from pollution and environmental authorities, will be forced to shut down their unit due to protests on flimsy grounds by a handful of people.
Justice P V Kunhikrishnan issued the order while considering the petition of two entrepreneurs — Sudheer S and Thajudheen Adayaman of Thiruvananthapuram — whose dream of starting an industrial unit with modern machinery was stifled not by law or regulatory authorities responsible for assessing pollution or environmental concerns, but by protests by a group of neighbours. Subsequently, representatives of the local authority shied away from taking a decision in accordance with the law.
The court observed that although there is a general allegation that industries do not progress in Kerala due to public protests and trade unionism, the state’s industrial growth has, in reality, been commendable in recent times. The credit goes to all Keralites and, of course, to political parties and their leaders who were in power at different periods, irrespective of their political affiliations, and who consistently convinced people of the necessity of industries for economic growth.
However, the HC noted that isolated instances of protests would discourage entrepreneurs from investing in the state. It added that some political parties and elected representatives fear that siding with an industry in a particular area may cost them votes.
The court emphasised that it is the duty of elected representatives to convince the electorate, at the time of elections itself, that once statutory clearance is obtained, industries will be allowed to function, as industrial growth is the need of the hour in the state.
It quashed a resolution passed by Nellanad panchayat rejecting the two entrepreneurs’ application to install 130 HP machinery. It also directed the panchayat to approve their application for a permit to establish a hot-mix plant, for which the petitioners had already invested crores of rupees.