The State government is firm on not letting the Sterlite Copper plant at Thoothukudi function again, P. Thangamani, Electricity Minister, said on Saturday.
Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of an iftar party here, Mr. Thangamani said the statement of senior Left leaders like T.K. Rangarajan that the AIADMK regime had taken a pro-Sterlite stand, had hurt the sentiments of the ruling party cadre. Mr. Rangarajan, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, had objected to Mr. Thangamani’s statement in the Assembly last Friday that the closure of the Sterlite Copper smelter in Thoothukudi, which was a major supplier of copper in the country, was among the reasons for the delay in sourcing transformers for Tangedco.
Mr. Thangamani said though the ruling party was not bothered by the contentions of DMK leaders on the Sterlite issue as they were always opposing the stand of the government, it was unfortunate that senior Left leaders had come out with a statement which was far from the truth.
Asserting that the State government would never take a pro-Sterlite stand, he added that the Chief Minister had ordered the permanent closure of Sterlite Copper plant in deference to the wishes of the people. The State has already initiated steps for procuring copper from other sources so that there is no impact on supply of transformers to Tangedco, he said.
Referring to the DMK’s demand to open the Mettur Dam for commencing farm operations in the delta districts on the customary date of June 12, Mr. Thangamani said that the party was making such a demand despite knowing well that there was no adequate storage of water in the reservoir, for political reasons.
