CHENNAI: Experts, including former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, came together on Friday to discuss the Tamil Nadu model of development that has come under the scanner, especially in recent months.
Speaking at the discussion, organised by All India Professionals Congress, Jairam Ramesh said, “Tamil Nadu is the only State that has seen a combination of both social development and industrial development while other States focus on one of the two.”
However, its development model, for which the foundations were laid by the late Chief Minister Kamaraj, has come under threat because of the political system that is currently in place in the State, he said.
“It is perhaps the first instance in independent India where people have been shot dead for protesting. It is a cold-blooded murder,” he said, referring to the police firing at anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi that claimed 13 lives.
Sushila Ravindranath, an author, said the issue at hand was a complex one taking the example of leather tanneries. The leather industry which is one of the largest employers in places such as Vellore has also polluted waterbodies like Palar river, she said.