Vedanta moves apex court seeking access to Sterlite Copper plant

The firm said it had pressed for the hearing of its interim applications and had also sought expeditious hearing of its main petitions but the Madras High Court expressed its inability to hear the matter due to paucity of time.

The plant was ordered shut after 13 people among local residents protesting against the environmental pollution caused by the plant were killed in police firing in May last year. Vendanta has denied the allegations that its plant caused the pollution. The firm has said that its “intention was solely to preserve its assets” and for such purpose alone, it be allowed to commence repair and maintenance activities.

It added that lack of maintenance of assets has resulted in a loss of over Rs 100 crore. The apex court earlier this year directed the company to move the Madras High Court against a Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board order shutting the plant down.

The firm said the value of the Tuticorin plant was around Rs 3,000 crore and if the High Court did not eventually allow it to restart operations, it would need to transport and assemble equipment to another location.

On March 27, the High Court adjourned the matter till April 23, after MDMK leader Vaiko said that it be listed after the assembly polls in the State. The firm said it had objected to the same as the last working day of the High Court before the summer vacations is April 30.

Sterlite in its petition, filed in line with the Supreme Court’s recent suggestion, has challenged the May 23, 2018 orders of TNPCB refusing renewal of consent to the plant as well as permanent closure, terming them as wholly illegal, unconstitutional and ultra vires.

The apex court on February 18 set aside the order of the NGT allowing opening of the copper unit but gave the liberty to the company to approach the High Court against the closure order.

With a month left for the first anniversary of the police firing on a rally against Sterlite Copper’s smelting unit in Thoothukudi, a group of protesters under the banner Thoothukudi District People’s Federation approached the district collector seeking to set up a memorial for those killed in the firing. They also sought permission for holding a silent procession in commemoration of those dead on May 22.

Talking to reporters, the federation coordinator M Krishnamurthy recalled that 13 innocent people, who took part in the rally on the fateful day, laid down their lives. They were marching up to the collectorate in a peaceful manner to submit petitions against expansion of the copper plant. But the police opened fire at them to prevent people from approaching the collectorate. Among those killed in the firing, family of a victim was yet to get job order from government, while the jobs provided to others did commensurate with their educational qualifications.