Sterlite plant shutdown is bad for economy, panel tells NGT
29 Nov 2018
A three-member independent committee formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to look into the shutdown of Vedanta’s Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, said the closure of the plant that meets 50 per cent of the country’s copper needs was bad for the economy.
In its report, the committee has recommended that Vedanta set waste management rules at the plant and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitor compliance, adding that the current pollution control norms are unsustainable.
Also, the panel said, while the pollution levels created by the plant may be unsustainable, the hasty closure of the plant was against the principles of natural justice.
The committee, headed by former Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Tarun Agrawal, said no notice or opportunity of hearing was given to Vedanta before the closure.
The Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi, in Tamil Nadu was closed after the 13 May protests by locals in which 13 civilians lost their lives. Vedanta had approached the NGT against the consequent decision of the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to shut down the plant.
Vedanta now claims the committee report, if implemented, will offer relief to the approximately 25,000 families impacted by the closure.
The tribunal was hearing arguments in the ongoing case between Sterlite and the TN government, with the latter keen on the closure of the plant.
It submitted the report following a site visit and public consultations. It had received thousands of letters from pro- and anti-Sterlite groups.
Reacting to the NGT committee report, P Ramnath, CEO of Sterlite Copper, said Vedanta has always been environmentally conscious in every aspect of operations, and followed all the regulations.
The NGT, which took on record the report submitted by the committee, directed the Tamil Nadu government to submit its response in a week's time.
"The state government may give several reasons for closing down the unit. But the closure is not justified," the committee is learnt to have submitted in its report.
"The three-member committee's submission is a favourable development and it will help Sterlite to reopen its plant. The committee has also suggested constant monitoring of ground water in Tuticorin and we will also adhere to all suggested norms," the counsel for Sterlite Copper, Ariama Sundaram, told reporters, after completion of proceedings before the NGT on Wednesday.