India’s environment court, National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday (7) has adjourned its hearing on Vedanta Ltd’s case to Monday (10) to rule whether to allow the firm to restart its copper smelter in Thoothukudi which was closed earlier this year following violent protests causing to the death of 13 people.
Earlier, a team of experts formed by India’s environment court said that the Tamil Nadu state government authorities hadn’t complied with the rules, regulations, and procedures before forcefully closing the smelter.
The closed copper smelter is located at coastal town, Thoothukudi in India’s southern state, Tamil Nadu.
In an argument before NGT, the advocate representing Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board on Friday questioned the authority of the expert team to decide on whether the ban on a smelter in Tamil Nadu be cancelled.
The state government officials permanently closed the copper smelter after the police fired at the violent protesters who urged the concerned to shut down the plant in May over concerns that the plant was heavily polluted air and water in the area.
However, Vedanta's lawyer Aryama Sundaram informed the court that his firm had planned to invest one billion rupees to construct hospitals and schools for the local people who are living close to the copper plant.
According to the sources, the copper smelter is unlikely to restart its functioning in the near future as the Tamil Nadu state government is expected to appeal before the Supreme Court if it loses the case in the NGT.
The closure of Vedanta’s copper smelter has hit the revenue earning of the firm. The copper smelter is of one of the biggest smelters in India. Resuming the work is essential to Vedanta as it witnessing the rising costs and the impact of a slowing economy on demand for metals and energy.
Local councils now face four “nationally significant” cyber attacks weekly, putting essential services at risk.
Cyber-attacks cost UK SMEs £3.4 billion annually, with the North West particularly affected.
Experts recommend proactive measures including supplier monitoring, threat intelligence, and an “assume breach” mindset.
Cyber threats escalate
Britain’s local authorities are facing an unprecedented surge in cyber threats, with the National Cyber Security Centre reporting that councils confront four “nationally significant” cyber attacks every week. The escalation comes as organisations are urged to take concrete action, with new toolkits and free cyber insurance through the NCSC Cyber Essentials scheme to help secure their foundations.
Recent attacks on major retailers including Marks & Spencer, Co-op and Jaguar Land Rover have demonstrated the devastating impact of cyber threats on critical operations. Yet councils remain equally vulnerable, with a single successful attack capable of rendering essential public services inaccessible to millions of citizens.
The stakes are extraordinarily high. When councils fall victim to cyber attacks, citizens cannot access housing benefits, pay council tax or retrieve crucial information. Simultaneously, staff are locked out of email systems and case management tools, halting service delivery across social care, police liaison and NHS coordination.
Call for cyber resilience
According to Vodafone and WPI Strategy’s Securing Success: The Role of Cybersecurity in SME Growth report, cyber-attacks are costing UK small and medium-sized enterprises an estimated £3.4 billion annually in lost revenue. Over a quarter of SMEs surveyed stated that a single attack averaging £6,940 could force them out of business entirely. This financial impact is particularly acute in the North West, where attacks cost businesses nearly £5,000 more than the national average.
Renata Vincoletto, CISO at Civica, emphasises that councils need not wait for legislation to strengthen their cyber resilience. She outlines five immediate priorities: employing third-party continuous monitoring tools to track supplier security compliance; subscribing to threat intelligence feeds from the NCSC and sector experts; engaging with regional cyber clusters supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration ( UKC3) establishing standardised incident reporting processes aligned with NCSC frameworks; and adopting an “assume breach” mindset to stay vigilant against inevitable threats.
“Cyber resilience is not a single project or policy it’s a culture of preparedness,” Vincoletto states. “Every small step taken today reduces the impact of tomorrow’s inevitable attack.”
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.