World Bank's president Dr. Jim Kim says he's committed to address urgent issues such as climate change and poverty. But his support for a 4,000 MW coal fired power plant in Gujarat, India, is devastating poor communities and destroying the environment. He even seems to be ignoring internal advice to reject funding for the plant.
Tata Mundra, a 4150MW coal based power plant in the western coast of Gujarat, India, is a dirty project being financed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Korean ExIm Bank, among others -- and it is clouded with serious social and environmental issues. Its developer, Tata, has been accused of displacing communities in the region, destroying their livelihood, contaminating water supply and seriously damaging natural habitats.
Reports from the accountability mechanism of IFC (the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman - CAO) confirmed all concerns raised by the communities near the plant. Yet, the IFC and the World Bank Group President, Dr. Jim Kim, rejected the findings of CAO and refused to take any action, and are moving forward with Tata Mundra. But why?
It's time to get a few answers from Dr. Kim -- he's willing to answer them. Will Dr. Jim Kim switch off Tata Mundra on this Earth Hour day?
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Update: Jim Kim has published a vague response, which DOES NOT answer Gujarat's people questions - so we'll keep asking.