Natural resources company Vedanta Limited has filed a new petition in the Madras High Court claiming that its Sterlite copper smelting plant, which has been under lock and key since May 2018, was in dire need of proper maintenance and that the company should be allowed to carry out necessary work.
The petitioner’s counsel is likely to make a mention about the latest petition before Justice T.S. Sivagnanam in the Madurai Bench of the High Court so that the judge could decide upon a date when the case would be taken up for hearing by a Division Bench also comprising Justice V. Bhavani Subbaroyan.
Stagnation of rainwater
In the petition, Vedanta accused the government as well as Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials of having failed to take care of the plant leading to stagnation of rainwater all over. It estimated that around 750 men would be required to undertake the maintenance and keep the plant free from rainwater.
However, due to the indifference shown by the officials, water got stagnated in critical areas, such as smelter area, blower area of sulphuric acid plant, cooler tower area of phosphoric acid plant, an electrical substation and the gas desulphurization system units, causing severe damage to the civil and the mechanical structures, it alleged.
Further damage
“Due to complete lack of care and maintenance over the last 18 months by the local administration coupled with exposure to moisture and rain, several structure such as the pipelines, cable trays, acid towers etc., are in a corroded state and are likely to collapse and cause further damage to the existing structures,” the petition read.
It also stated that around 7,000 litres of electrolyte (copper sulphate) used for refining copper had been left to stagnate in the cell house till date without being evacuated.
Further, there were remnants of hazardous chemicals and unpumpable materials in the plant posing an environmental as well as health hazard, it added.
The company wanted the court to grant it full access to the copper smelting plant solely for the purpose of maintaining it well.
