TN government orders permanent closure of Sterlite's plant in Thoothukudi
Chennai: In an order that is bound to resonate among the people, especially those who have been battling the environmental problems being caused by the copper smelter, the Tamil Nadu government ordered the permanent closure of the Sterlite's plant in Thoothukudi on grounds of pollution of air and water.
In doing so, the government has met the main demand of the protesters and thus paved the way for the agitation to die down.
A GO issued by Principal Secretary Md Nasimmuddin directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to “seal the unit and close the plant permanently” in the “larger public interest”, thereby endorsing the Board's closure direction to the smelter unit in the SIPCOT industrial complex in the port town.
The Tamil Nadu pollution control board (TNPCB) district engineer, in the presence of Thoothukudi district collector and district police superintendent and local tahsildar, sealed the Sterlite copper factory amid great joy of the Thoothukudiites, who have been waiting for this moment for more than 23 years since the foundation stone was laid in 1994. The District environmental engineer, P S Livingston along with Thoothukudi tahsildhar, Sivagamaundari locked the main entrance of the factory with a iron chain and sealed it.
The GO said it had been brought to government's notice that TNPCB had not renewed the consent to operate to Vedanta Limited for running the copper smelter unit and conveyed its rejection in the order of April 9.
Subsequently, the Board ordered closure of the plant and disconnection of power supply. Electricity was stopped to the unit on May 24, the GO recalled.
Pointing out that under Art 48-A of the Constitution, the “State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”, the GO said the government under Sec 18(1) (b) of the Water Act, 1974, “in the larger public interest” has now endorsed the TNPCB closure direction to Vedanta while directing the Board to “seal the unit and close the plant permanently”.
The GO comes seven days after the police opened fire on a huge crowd of
protesters who turned violent while marching to the Thoothukudi district
collectorate demanding the closure of Sterlite, alleging that the plant was polluting the air and groundwater, besides causing cancer and lung diseases.
The police firing on May 22 resulted in 12 deaths and one more person died in firing the following day. Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on a visit to Thoothukudi to meet the 100-plus injured in the police action and commiserate with the families of the 13 people killed, had said the government was in the process of bringing out order for permanent closure of the plant.
