SC stays Sterlite's Tamil Nadu plant closure

The Supreme Court (SC) today stayed a lower court order to close Sterlite Industries’ copper smelter at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu on environmental grounds. A bench headed by R V Raveendran stayed the Madras High Court (HC) order till October 18, the next date of hearing. On Tuesday, HC had found that Sterlite, a subsidiary of UK-based Vedanta Group, was functioning within 25 kilometres of the sea coast, violating the environmental regulations.

It also noted that the Sterlite plant had not developed a green belt of 250-metre width around the plant, which was insisted upon by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board while granting an earlier no-objection certificate.

Sterlite had moved the apex court yesterday against the HC order, alleging the lower court did not give it a proper hearing and take its defences into account. HC had observed the plant was set up amid protests from local people. The pollution was unabated and should be stopped at least now, it had said.

“The materials on record show that the continuing air pollution being caused by the noxious effluents discharged into air by the respondent company is having a devastating effect on people living in the surroundings,” HC had said in its order.

A Sterlite spokesperson said: “We are happy that SC has granted stay till October 18, when the matter will come up for further hearing.”

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had granted permission to Sterlite to run a unit to manufacture 391 mt of blister copper and 1,060 tonnes of sulphuric acid. Instead of complying with the green belt condition, the company had sought reduction of the width of the green belt from 250 metres to 10-15 metres around the plant.