‘Govt will stop all attempts of Sterlite’

His statement comes in the wake of the Supreme Court setting aside the National Green Tribunal’s order, which overturned the State’s decision to shut down the plant. However, it allowed the company to move the Madras High Court for a remedy.

Addressing newspersons in Thoothukudi, Nanduri said the State Government will oppose any appeal filed by Sterlite in the Madras High Court, pressing for the plant’s reopening.

“Based on recommendations given by the government-appointed high-powered committee, hazardous chemical substances left inside the plant, were being evacuated as they could be harmful to the public,” he said.

The process of removing chemicals, such as sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, rock phosphate, gypsum and copper concentrate, was taken up even before the court order, the Collector said. “So far, around 95 per cent of such chemicals have been removed. The rest would be removed soon. Small amounts of gypsum and copper concentrate remain in the plant,” he said. 

The copper plant was shut down and sealed on May 28, 2018, after violence broke out during the anti-Sterlite rally. As many as 13 people were killed, while several suffered injuries in the police firing incident on May 22.