Anti-Sterlite parties present petitions at NGT hearing

DMK, VCK submitted representations against the plant

Representations against reopening Vedanta Ltd.’s Sterlite Copper smelter plant at Thoothukudi were submitted before the three-member committee set up by the National Green Tribunal.

The committee headed by Tarun Agrawal, former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, heard the pleas by those opposed to the reopening of the plant on Friday, the second hearing on the issue at the Southern bench of the NGT.

In the last hearing, the committee heard petitioners in favour of reopening the copper smelter unit.

The DMK and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi submitted representations against the plant. R.S. Bharathi, organising secretary, and Geetha Jeevan, MLA, DMK, moved the Tribunal.

They submitted that the company had flouted many norms and that there was no scope for regularization of such non-compliance and “it is only expected of the government to strictly punish such acts of non-compliance as per law as the same amounts to violations and abuse of law and the consent conditions”.

They demanded that the TNPCB initiate criminal action against the company as per law. “The entire region has been severely polluted and contaminated over the years and a complete study of such contamination and immediate remediation of the same is necessary,” they submitted before the committee.

The VCK, in its representation submitted by party president Thol. Tirumavalavan, referred to the ₹100 crore fine imposed by the Supreme Court on the company, and alleged that the company, in collusion with the TNPCB officials and the State administration violated several environmental laws. He also blamed the Sterlite for the death of 13 people who were killed while protesting against the plant’s operation.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who appeared for some residents of Thoothukudi, too alleged that the State Pollution Control Board officials had been hand-in-glove with the company.

Meanwhile, the office-bearers of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam claimed they submitted more than one lakh signatures from Thoothukudi residents who did not want the plant to restart.