National Green Tribunal committee inspects Sterlite plant

The committee entered the plant around 8.30 am and inspected the premises for about 90 minutes. 

Thereafter, the committee members visited some villages in the vicinity, including Therkku Veerapandiyapuram, A Kumareddiyapuram and Kumaragiri, and interacted with the locals. 

Besides Agarwal, the panel comprised of Satish C Garkoti, scientist, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and HD Varalaxmi from the Regional Directorate of Central Pollution Control Board.

Collector Sandeep Nanduri accompanied the committee during the inspection. 

The panel later convened a two-hour-long public hearing at the Government Polytechnic College in Thoothukudi, during which hundreds of people submitted petitions regarding the Sterlite Copper plant.

Speaking to the media, Agarwal said the committee interacted with employees of the plant and local villagers. Referring to the public hearing, he said that around 2,000 people had expressed their opinion and most of them did not want the plant to resume its operations. 

“However, we will study their representations before deciding on further course of action,” he said. 

“Another hearing on this issue is scheduled to be conducted in Chennai on Monday. The committee would submit its final report as soon as possible,” Agarwal added.

District SP Murali Rambha said around 800 police personnel were deployed during the committee’s visit. During the team’s visit, some members of the anti-Sterlite movement raised slogans and carried placards demanding the plant’s permanent closure. 

Meanwhile, a spokesman from Sterlite said the public hearing was not conducted in a fair manner as  several persons, who wanted the plant to be reopened, were denied entry to the venue by anti-Sterlite protesters. Even the police personnel stationed at the venue were mute spectators to it, the spokesman said.

On Saturday evening, the committee inspected the copper dump site at ‘Uppar Odai’ in Thoothukudi. 

The copper smelting unit was sealed on May 28 after violence broke out during a rally on May 22, in which 13 people were killed and several others suffered injuries.

Thereafter, the Vedanta group, which operates the plant, moved the Supreme Court and the NGT challenging the closure order by the State government. 

The NGT had constituted the expert committee and directed it to inspect the plant and submit a report within six weeks.