Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said his government will challenge the green court’s verdict in the Supreme Court after the National Green Tribunal set aside the state government’s closure order of Vedanta’s copper smelter plant in Tuticorin, saying it was “non-sustainable” and “unjustified”
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Saturday set aside Tamil Nadu government’s order for closing Vedanta Group’s Sterlite plant at Tuticorin
The Cheif Minister asserted that “We will challenge the National Green Tribunal verdict on Sterlite issue in the Supreme Court.”
The green court while stating that the plant has to comply with suggestions put forth by the NGT-appointed committee said: “The appellant (Vedanta) will also be entitled to restoration of electricity for its operations.”
Earlier on May 22 and 23, at least 13 people had died during the police firing after anti-Sterlite protests. The protesters demanded the closure of the Vedanta group’s Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin over pollution concerns.
The AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu government had decided to shut down the copper plant after the violent protests, which accounts for a 40 per cent share in India’s annual copper production of 10 lakh tonnes.