SC upholds order allowing Sterlite plant to reopen
NEWDELHI/CHENNAI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order setting aside the Tamil Nadu government’s May 2018 decision to shut down Vedanta Limited’s Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi, possibly clearing the decks for the factory to reopen.
A bench, headed by justice RF Nariman, sought Vedanta’s response on the state’s appeal against the green court’s December 2018 order to reopen the plant on the grounds that the shutdown decision was “non-sustainable” and “unjustified”.
On January 2, the Tamil Nadu government had challenged the NGT order. Thirteen people were killed and several injured in May last year in police firing on demonstrators protesting against the alleged pollution of groundwater caused by the plant.
Tamil Nadu contended that the NGT had “erroneously” set aside orders passed by the state pollution control board last year and directed it to pass fresh orders for renewal of consent and issue authorisation to handle hazardous substances to Vedanta.
The tribunal had failed to consider the data, document and evidence furnished by the pollution board that Vedanta had irreversibly polluted groundwater in and around Thoothukudi district, it said.
Outraged by the top court order, anti-sterlite protesters and Tamil Nadu Opposition parties trained their guns on the state government, saying it had failed to effectively handle the issue.
“When we demanded a policy decision on Sterlite’s closure, the government claimed that even an international court cannot scrap the government order sealing the factory. However, the NGT and the Supreme Court have binned the closure order,” Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin told journalists.
Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, however, denied that his government had been lackadaisical. “This is not the final pronouncement on the Sterlite issue. We are yet to get a copy of the order. After scrutinising it, we will take necessary and appropriate steps,” he told the assembly.