Court orders closure of Sterlite’s copper smelter plant
September 28th, 2010 - 10:32 pm ICT by IANSChennai, Sep 28 (IANS) The Madras High Court Tuesday ordered immediate closure of the Tuticorin-based copper smelter plant of Sterlite Industries India Ltd - a part of the Vedanta Resources group - for violating various environmental laws and causing pollution.
Delivering its order on writ petitions filed by National Trust for Clean Environment (NTCE) and MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, a bench of Justice Elipe Dharmarao and Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar also said that the employees are entitled for compensation under Section 25 FFF of Industrial Disputes Act at the rate of 16 days wages for every completed years of service.
The court also asked the Tuticorin district collector to take necessary steps for the re-employment of the factory workers in other organisations around Tuticorin, to the extent possible, to protect their livelihood.
Quashing the environmental clearances given by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for the original setting up of the plant as well as subsequent capacity expansion, the court said that the plant had come up within the 25 km of the environmentally fragile zone near the Gulf of Mannar.
“The bench ordered closure of the plant as it was violating pollution laws and functioning without holding the mandatory public hearing and environment impact assessment (EIA),” NTCE’s advocate G.Rama Priya told IANS.
From the start, the copper smelter plant was mired in controversy. Originally the plant was planned in Goa but it faced severe opposition from the state’s people. However, the AIADMK regime under J. Jayalalithaa gave a warm welcome to the project and allotted land at Tuticorin.
Ever since then the plant was in the eye of storm with Vaiko leading a protest against the project and later filing a case.
The company’s operations in Tuticorin include the smelter, a refinery, and production of phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, and copper rods.
Sterlite Industries was in the process of expanding the copper smelter capacity and putting up a 160 MW captive power unit at Tuticorin. The project was slated to go on stream next year.
- Court orders closure of Sterlite's copper smelter plant (Lead) - Sep 29, 2010
- Supreme Court extends stay on Sterlite plant shutdown (Lead) - Oct 18, 2010
- Supreme Court stays Madras High Court's order on closure of Sterlite Industries' - Oct 01, 2010
- Apex court seeks green tips on smelting unit (Lead) - Aug 25, 2011
- Sterlite to appeal against Madras High Court order - Sep 29, 2010
- Supreme Court stays order on Sterlite plant closure (Lead) - Oct 01, 2010
- More detailed pollution check ordered at Tuticorin plant - Feb 25, 2011
- Sterlite seek three weeks to shut smelter plant (Lead) - Sep 29, 2010
- Sterlite approaches Supreme Court to stay plant closure order - Sep 30, 2010
- Sterlite plant: Tamil Nadu asked to reply on environment report - Jul 18, 2011
- Sterlite plant closure may lead to inflow of sulphuric acid from overseas - Sep 29, 2010
- Court tells Sterlite to seek licence from pollution board - Jan 17, 2012
- Supreme Court stays order on Sterlite plant closure - Oct 01, 2010
- Apex court extends shield for Sterlite's Tamil Nadu plant (Second Lead) - Oct 18, 2010
- Apex court extends stay on Sterlite's shut down - Oct 18, 2010
Tags: capacity expansion, copper rods, copper smelter, environment impact assessment, eye of storm, fff, gulf of mannar, industrial disputes, j jayalalithaa, madras high court, ntce, pollution control board, pollution laws, smelter plant, sterlite industries india, sterlite industries india ltd, tamil nadu, tuticorin district, vedanta resources, writ petitions