In a relief to mining giant Vedanta, India’s environment court on Saturday (15) has set aside Tamil Nadu state government’s order to shut Vedanta’s copper smelter permanently.
The new move of the country’s environment court, National Green Tribunal (NGT) takes the firm closer to restart its plant in the Southern Indian coastal town, Thoothukudi.
The new ruling from NGT came months after it was closed by Tamil Nadu state government following environmental pollution allegations.
The government decided to close the plant permanently after violent protests in May this year which ultimately resulted in police firing on demonstrators killing 13 innocent lives.
NGT asked Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to pass anew order of renewal for Vedanta’s copper smelter within three weeks. It also asked the firm to utilize Rs 1 billion within a period of three years for the welfare of local residents in the area where the smelter is located.
A committee of experts formed by the tribunal in November said that the concerned authorities in Tamil Nadu failed to comply with the procedures before closing the smelter.
Tamil Nadu’s environment minister, KC Karuppannan, said the state would approach Supreme Court with an appeal against the latest verdict.
Clearing his stand on the latest court order the minister added that their stand is clear and they do not want to reopen the smelter.
