TN refuses Sterlite fund, won’t let plant reopen
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has refused an offer made by the Vedanata group, which owns the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi, to invest Rs1 billion for the development of the port city if the plant is allowed to reopen. The state has told the Supreme Court it doesn’t want to let Vedanta reopen the plant that was shuttered in May.
Thirteen people had died in police iring on May 22 as a 100-day old agitation against the polluting plant culminated in a march. The state then closed the plant.
The apex court upheld the Madras High Court’s order for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the police iring.
Vedanta offered to provide infra- structure such as electricity and water projects worth Rs 100 crore in the locality if the plant is allowed to be reopened. Sterlite said the Rs1 billion is apart from regular social work being carried out under Corporate Social Responsibility.
The company, based in the UK, stood irm in the argument that Maoists had penetrated the march and sparked violence. The government again rejected that argument.
The state’s attorney pointed out that there was no greenery inside the plant and elaborated on how the industry louted the norms. Sterlite Industries also said there is no proof that storing of Gypsum and Sulphuric acid will penetrate and pollute the soil.
An independent expert committee had recommended a set of measures to reopen the plant. It said the Sterlite should be directed to monitor groundwater quality including heavy metals such as Arsenic, Cadmium, Silver, Copper, Fluoride, etc. in and around the factory premises and nearby villages once a month.
The sampling of efluent/emission and solid waste should also be done by a monitoring group to be constituted by state pollution board.
Copper slag should be entirely removed from all the eleven sites including the Uppar River where it has been dumped. The dead stock of copper slag and gypsum lying in the dump yard inside the factory premises which has solidiied should be removed in a time-bound manner.
The panel also said the government should collect data from their primary health centres and government hospitals to monitor the various ailments among people living in and around the factory premises.