Section 144 lifted in Tuticorin district: TN govt

Normalcy returned to Tuticorin today after authorities lifted prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, days after violence rocked the district during a protest demanding closure of a copper factory owned by UK-based conglomerate Vedanta Group.

Section 144, which does not allow assembly of more than four people, was imposed on May 23 following the violence in which 13 people lost their lives while many others were injured.

The factory had stopped functioning from April 9 as its application to renew the licence was rejected by the state Pollution Control Board, state Information and Publicity Minister Kadambur Raju.

"The government's intention is to close the facility. That is why it allowed the locals to stage a protest for 98 days," he added.

People living in the area have been staging protests demanding closure of the plant owned by Vedanta Ltd.

"Whichever association they (agitators) may represent, the government ensured it provided adequate security to their protest," Raju, who also hails from Tuticorin, said.

Stating that electricity supply to the factory was already cut, the minister said, "Now supply of water is also disconnected. Due to this, the functioning of the factory has been fully stopped."