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While his workers complain of poor conditions, Adani’s wealth grows at furious pace

Gautum Adani’s port-to-power business has proved more valuable this year than Elon Musk’s Tesla or Jeff Bezos’ Amazon.

Mar 15, 2021, updated Mar 15, 2021
Gautum Adani with former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

Gautum Adani with former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull

The Indian entrepreneur’s wealth has jumped $US16 billion ($A20.2 billion) this year to $US50 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him a bigger wealth creator this year than Musk and Bezos who had been the two key figures to fight it out for the title.

The controversial businessmen is pushing ahead with the Carmichael thermal coal project in central Queensland under the new company name of Bravus. Adani Australia also owns the Rugby Run solar farm, near Moranbah.

His ballooning wealth was on the back of sharply increased values in the shares of some of his companies. Adani has recently moved into data centre development and its renewable energy division has grown sharply in the past year.

While Bezos’ wealth is more than three times that of Adani’s his wealth has fallen back by $US8.8 billion. Investor Warren Buffet’s has jumped $12.1 billion to about $US100 billion. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has fallen by about $US2 billion to $US102 billion.

Meanwhile, Musk has increased his wealth by $US8.9 billion to $US180 billion and Microsoft founder Bill Gates’s wealth grew $US7.2 billion to about $US140 billion.

Adani’s sharply increased wealth came as workers in the company’s construction camps made claims of food poisoning.

On Facebook’s “mining jobs in the Bowen Basin” page, some workers complained of awful food and conditions which had led to sickness. Others said the camps were among the best.

While the page often carries complaints about poor conditions at all camps, several workers complained about either food poisoning at the camp or poor food. Others said the food was better than most, but the cost and controls on alcohol at the camps were prohibitive.

Bravus Mining and Resources said it runs four accommodation camps for more than 2000 people working to build the Carmichael mine and rail Project.

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“Feedback provided by people staying at our camps via surveys shows most are pleased with the quality of food and accommodation at the camps. We do our best to cater for the dietary requirements, likes and dislikes of more than 2000 people staying at our camps,” Bravus said.

“There have been no reported foodborne illness outbreaks at our camps. As a precautionary measure food samples are taken and stored from each meal to ensure quality testing of the product and allow for laboratory analysis should an alleged outbreak occur.

“Our camps do have rules that are standard across the resources and construction industry, such as limiting alcohol consumption and compulsory random drug and alcohol testing, that help ensure camps are safe and welcoming places to stay and we make no apologies to people who complain via social media that they are unhappy about these rules.

“These rules are provided to people prior to starting work onsite through the Code of Conduct, site inductions and camp rules, and are also a regular topic of prestart meetings.”

“Security staff do not conduct searches of our camp rooms or people’s bags, however room cleaners and camp management regularly enter rooms for cleaning and housekeeping quality checks and if contraband alcohol is visible, it will be reported to Bravus management who will then discuss it with the individual in line with the Code of Conduct and camp rules, to ensure the safety of all our employees and contractors.”

 

 

 

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