TNPCB urges Central Pollution Control Board to postpone visit to Sterlite plant

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board urged the Central Pollution Control Board on Tuesday to postpone the visit of an expert committee to the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi, citing pendency of its appeal against the NGT order setting up the panel.

In a letter to the CPCB, TNPCB referred to pending cases in the Supreme Court against the National Green Tribunal order on setting up the panel. Since the matter was sub-judice in the Supreme Court, “we request the committee to postpone the visit to Thoothukudi scheduled for September 22-24,” it said.

The NGT had given the interim order for setting up the panel on an appeal filed by the Vedanta challenging the state government's order directing permanent closure of its copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi on environment grounds in the wake of protests by locals on May 28.

The TNPCB pointed to the state government challenging maintainability of Vedanta's plea and the jurisdiction of the NGT in entertaining it.

The locals demanded the closure of the Sterlite plant and copper smelter for 99 days and the agitation turned violent on May 22 on the 100th day leading to 13 people being shot dead in police firing.

Recently, the state government had rejected the Centre's report on groundwater contamination in Thoothukudi district in the backdrop of the Sterlite controversy, saying it was “absolutely vague” and seemed to support the Vedanta unit which was “totally unwarranted”.

It had said the state strongly feels that the report is motivated and has been prepared only to prejudice the Tamil Nadu government and the TNPCB cases.