SC permits Vedanta to operate TN plant for O2
TN ON MONDAY GRANTED TEMPORARY PERMISSION TO A SHUTTERED PLANT TO REOPEN
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to refrain from “political bickering” while it permitted Vedanta to operate its shuttered copper plant in Thoothukudi only for the production of medical oxygen at a time when there is a shortage of critical supplies amid the second Covid-19 wave in the country.
A bench led by justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said that the oxygen production unit will function on a stand-alone basis, and that Vedanta will not be allowed to access the copper and power plants in the precinct.
The bench, which also included justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat, said that Vedanta could operate the oxygen plant under the supervision of a committee, which will also decide the number of personnel allowed to run the unit..
Vedanta’s lawyer, Harish Salve, said the production could start in 10 days once other logistical requirements were fulfilled and the capacity could go up to 200 metric tonne (MT) per day. The court said its order will operate till July 31.
Vedanta moved the Supreme Court last week for permission to operate the oxygen producing unit at the Sterlite copper plant, which was shut down in May 2018 by the state government days after 13 protesters were killed in police firing during a protest against pollution caused by the facility in the southern Tamil Nadu district.
Tamil Nadu on Monday granted temporary permission to a shuttered plant to reopen for the production of medical oxygen production for four months.
Responding to Vedanta’s fresh plea, senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan and additional advocate general Balaji Srinivasan, who appeared for Tamil Nadu, said that after an all-party meeting a day ago, the state government was agreeable to let Vedanta temporarily reopen the plant for access to its oxygen production unit.
The state also suggested that representatives from the local community, social activists, and NGOs should be included in the committee constituted to oversee the oxygen production to ensure law and order. But Salve opposed it. “We are not opposed to the state government’s oversight in coordination with the Centre, but we cannot let locals enter the plant. There have already been many problems in the past,” said Salve.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre, supported Salve and submitted that a state could not say it is dependent on some social activists to maintain law and order.
Vaidyanathan said he was surprised that the central government was supporting Vedanta, which was found in breach of the central laws on air and water pollution.
The court said: “We do not want political bickering in the court. These are times of crisis. We are here as a national court to protect lives in these times of grave crisis.
The court’s verdict also triggered protests in different parts of Thoothukudi district. “For the past 25 years since the plant came to Thoothukudi, we have been suffering... We will continue to protest, and our numbers will increase,” said V Gunaseelan, an activist.