Sterlite Copper Gets SC Go-ahead For Thoothukudi Plant Maintenance

A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Justice D Y Chandrachud, has allowed Sterlite Copper to carry out maintenance works at its Thoothukudi plant.

This includes operations like removal of remaining gypsum and leachate handling operations, among other things.  While granting the permission to the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta firm, the Court relied on the High-Powered Expert Committee report and the recommendation of the State of Tamil Nadu. “The Court has permitted it to carry out certain activities towards upkeep of the Plant which would not only ensure the safety of the Plant but also the surroundings,” a statement said on Monday.  

During the hearing, the upkeep of the plant was supported by a lawyer appointed by the non governmental organisations, representing nine  panchayats, 13 coastal Sangam’s, suppliers and downstream units, as this would support generating livelihood for the surrounding communities, it added.  

Earlier in the month, the Ministry of Home Affairs had informed the Rajya Sabha that it was examining complaints against certain NGOs for misusing foreign funds to organise protests around the Vedanta Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu.

Production at the plant has been suspended since 2018, after protests broke out against the firm’s plan to double its annual capacity to 800,000 tonnes. Subsequent police firing caused the death of 13 people and injured 102. At the peak of the pandemic last April, the Supreme Court allowed the firm to produce oxygen for medical purposes.

According to industry sources, the net loser of the closure was the Indian economy. From being a net exporter of copper in 2017-18, India is now an importer. The plant used to produce about 40 per cent of India’s copper demand and contributed about Rs 2,500 crore to the exchequer, 12 per cent of the Thoothukudi port’s revenue, and 95 per cent market share of sulphuric acid in Tamil Nadu.