Indian Government Orders Dow to Stop Building R & D Center

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > The Indian unit of Dow Chemical Dow Chemical Co has been told to stop building a research and development center in western India following protests by locals worried about potential pollution, the Indian newspaper Business Standard reported on Saturday.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > The Business Standard reports that construction has been suspended for a month while a government-appointed panel reviews contamination.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Dow Chemical said last year it would spend $100 million to build a global research and development center near Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Construction of the project will begin in 2008.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > In July, local villagers and activists attacked the construction site and set fire to an office and several cars.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > For many Indians, Dow is synonymous with the 1984 industrial disaster in Bhopal, central India. That year, a toxic gas leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant killed nearly 3,800 people. Dow Chemical then took over Union Carbide.

(Please indicate the source for reprinting on China Concrete and Cement Products Website)