Support conditional, govt should take all into confidence: DMK

CHENNAI: The DMK-led Opposition parties on Monday offered conditional support to temporarily reopen the controversial Sterlite Plant in Thoothukudi for producing medical oxygen in a time-bound manner to support Covid treatment.

DMK MP from Thoothukudi, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and party organising secretary RS Bharathi, who represented the party in the meeting called by Chief Minister K Palaniswami at the Secretariat, said the permission (to reopen) should be temporary and only for producing oxygen.

Emerging out of the meeting, Kanimozhi, accompanied by the leaders of Congress, CPI and CPM, told media persons that a committee should oversee the production, which should also have representatives of locals, anti-Sterlite protesters and environmentalists as members.

Advising the government to categorically state in the ‘reopening’ order that temporary permission to operate the plant for oxygen production should not be used as precedence for demanding the permanent opening of the plant, Kanimozhi said the DMK front has decided to support the temporary opening of the plant keeping in mind the acute shortage for oxygen.

Reiterating that permission should be denied for all other activities other than oxygen production, she also insisted that the state should only supply electricity for oxygen production.

Asked as to why the government should supply electricity, she reasoned that the plant should not engage in any other activity, like operating the co-gen plant in the pretext of power generation. She also added that permission shall be given for only Sterlite technicians to enter the plant under the supervision of the state for oxygen production.

On whether the state does not have other plants to produce oxygen, she said, “In the current scenario, the demand (for oxygen) is rising daily. If the caseload increases further, we might need more oxygen. Cases are rising across the country. We think it would be wise to use this plant for oxygen production temporarily.”

A committee should oversee the production process. It should have members from local residents, anti-Sterlite protesters and environmentalists —Kanimozhi,

DMK leader