The government of Tamil Nadu yesterday issued an order directing the state’s Pollution Control Board to permanently shut down Tuticorin’s Sterlite copper plant following last week’s violent protests in which 13 people had lost their lives due to police firing.
The government order says Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had refused to renew Sterlite’s ‘consent to operate’ by its order in April, while the plant’s electricity supply had also been disconnected on 24 May. Subsequently, the order goes on to say that the government endorses the Pollution Control Board’s decision to seal and close down the plant permanently “in the larger public interest”.
Chief Minister E. Palaniswami informed media reporters in Chennai that his government has decided to shut down the plant keeping sentiments of the people of Tuticorin in mind. He had previously held meetings with various organizations belonging to Tuticorin district and had announced his decision to prevent the plant from implementing its expansion plans.
Sterlite Copper’s senior executives termed the government’s decision as unfortunate, claiming that closure of the plant will leave thousands of people unemployed. Sterlite’s parent company, Vedanta Group, issued a press release stating that it will study the order and then decide on its future course of action.
Large-scale protests on May 22 had resulted in casualties of over a dozen people and had left many more injured. TV channels covering the protests later showed police personnel using live ammunition to fire at protestors, following which the union home ministry had stepped in and asked the state government for a report.