In some relief to the Vedanta Group, the National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed panel has said the closure of the company's Sterlite Copper Plant in Thoothukudi by the Tamil Nadu Government is not justified. The tribunal has directed the state to submit its response in a week.
The state government had neither served any notice nor given Sterlite an opportunity to submit its arguments, observed the committee headed by the former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, Tarun Aggarwal.
"The state government may give several reasons for closing down the unit. But the closure is not justified," the panel further said.
"The three-member committee's submission is a favourable development and will help Sterlite reopen its plant. The committee has also suggested constant monitoring of groundwater in Tuticorin and we will also adhere to all suggested norms," counsel for Sterlite Copper, Ariama Sundaram, told reporters.
Protests against Sterlite factory in Thoothukudi after the company announced its expansion plans had resulted in the death of over 13 people who took part in an anti-Sterlite stir in Thoothukudi.
After coming under heavy criticism from various political parties and locals, the state government had ordered permanent closure of the Sterlite's copper smelter plant.
“We have consistently been voicing the fact that Sterlite Copper is not a pollutant and the NGT report also states the same. We hope that the verdict will now be given soon for life to come back to normalcy for the 25,000 families impacted by the closure,” said P Ramnath, the CEO of Sterlite Copper.
The state government had neither served any notice nor given Sterlite an opportunity to submit its arguments, observed the committee headed by the former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, Tarun Aggarwal.
"The state government may give several reasons for closing down the unit. But the closure is not justified," the panel further said.
"The three-member committee's submission is a favourable development and will help Sterlite reopen its plant. The committee has also suggested constant monitoring of groundwater in Tuticorin and we will also adhere to all suggested norms," counsel for Sterlite Copper, Ariama Sundaram, told reporters.
Protests against Sterlite factory in Thoothukudi after the company announced its expansion plans had resulted in the death of over 13 people who took part in an anti-Sterlite stir in Thoothukudi.
After coming under heavy criticism from various political parties and locals, the state government had ordered permanent closure of the Sterlite's copper smelter plant.
“We have consistently been voicing the fact that Sterlite Copper is not a pollutant and the NGT report also states the same. We hope that the verdict will now be given soon for life to come back to normalcy for the 25,000 families impacted by the closure,” said P Ramnath, the CEO of Sterlite Copper.
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