Chennai: Sterlite CEO P Ramnath has said the company will go on appeal in the Madras High Court after the Supreme Court today overturned the order of the National Green Tribunal that allowed the reopening of Sterlite Copper industry in Thoothukudi.
In its order today on the Tamilnadu government plea, the apex court said it would not allow the reopening of the factory that is alleged to have caused immense environmental pollution and water contamination, leading to the death of many people in the last few years. But it allowed appeals to be filed in the Madras High Court in the case.
Speaking to mediapersons after the court verdict this morning, Ramnath said they would file the appeal in the court once they get a copy of the order. He also said they would pray for urgent hearing of the appeal as the factory authorities were worried about maintenance of the industry that has been closed for nearly eight months.
He pointed out that the Vedanta Group was investing Rs 100 crore for development activities in Thoothukudi and the surrounding areas.
BACKGROUND
In the Supreme Court today, a bench headed by Justice R F Nariman said it was allowing Tamilnadu’s appeal against the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order only on grounds of maintainability.
The National Green Tribunal 15 December set aside the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB) closure order on Sterlite Copper and directed that electricity be restored to the smelter. The NGT stated in its final order that the grounds on which the State took the decision to shut the plant owned by Vedanta Ltd was not sustainable and did not justify the impugned order.
The tribunal’s stand was in line with that of the three-member committee constituted to probe the closure of the copper plant, headed by Agrawal.
After the NGT verdict, the Tamilnadu government had moved the top court, saying that the NGT had ‘erroneously’ set aside various orders passed by the TNPCB last year with regard to the Sterlite plant.
CBI PROBE ON
The Supreme Court today said the CBI can continue to probe the death of 13 people shot dead by the police during the 100th day of the anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi. The police claimed they had to resort to firing as the protest turned violent.