Chennai: The State government on Saturday took strong exception to the suo moto study report on the groundwater contamination in Thoothukudi, carried out by the Centre, and said the report is 'motivated and has been prepared only to prejudice' the TN. It also demanded the Central government to immediately withdraw the report.
“The state strongly feels that the report is motivated and has been prepared only to prejudice the government of Tamil Nadu and the TNPCB cases in various judicial fora. The law and order situation in and around Tuticorin has returned to normalcy and such an unscientific report will be likely to aggravate the law and order situation,” the state government said.
Reacting to the Union Water Resource Ministry’s groundwater contamination report by the Central Ground Water Board, received on Sept. 5, chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan said the government was “extremely perturbed" that the Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR chose to commission a study and obtain a report from the Central ground Water Board in Tuticorin, without any intimation to the State government or statutory authority including the TN Pollution Control Board.
She said the state government decided not to renew sanctions to Sterlite Copper Smelting Plant after detailed investigation and analysis of all the relevant factors.
“The conclusion which appears to support the Sterlite industry is totally unwarranted, besides, being absolutely vague and is not supported by any empirical data whatsoever,” she said in a letter to the Union Secretary of Water Resources Ministry, a copy of which was made available to the media here on Saturday.
The Centre’s report has stated that "it can't be claimed that the Sterlite industry is only cause of pollution.”
