Sterlite Shut Down: Vedanta to challenge order once protests cool down?

Sources said that with local tensions running high over the deaths of the protesters, the resources company was holding off for now from filing a legal challenge.

 

Latest News India : Vedanta Resources is working on a legal challenge to the Tamil Nadu government’s closure of one of its copper smelters, but it will not proceed until tensions over the deaths of 13 people during protests last week have eased, two sources told Reuters.

The Tamil Nadu government ordered the permanent closure of the smelter on Monday after police fired on protesters demanding its closure on environmental grounds.

London-listed Vedanta, majority owned by billionaire Anil Agarwal, considers it is now left with no other option than to file a writ petition challenging the Tamil Nadu government’s decision in the Madras High Court or the Supreme Court in New Delhi, the two sources close to the company said.

“They have not presented a single (piece of) evidence against the company,” said one of the sources, both of whom declined to be named. “Vedanta is confident that it has a strong case legally. It has not violated any law.”

However, the sources said that with local tensions running high over the deaths of the protesters, the resources company was holding off for now from filing the legal challenge.

A Vedanta spokesman did not respond to requests seeking comment. The company earlier said it had broken no rules, and hoped soon to reopen the plant and double its capacity to 800,000 tonnes a year at a cost of more than $700 million.

The chief of Vedanta’s India copper business, P Ramnath, told Reuters on Friday the company would legally fight any attempt to close the plant.

D. Jayakumar, a senior Tamil Nadu minister, said the smelter was closed mainly in response to the demands of residents of the coastal city of Thoothukudi, and that the state government would defend itself in court.

“We’ve closed the plant based on various violations raised by the pollution control board. They will of course say that they have not violated any rule,” Jayakumar, who speaks for the state government, told Reuters.

“People are totally against the plant. We’re with the people only. We go by their demand and the law.”

He declined to give details of the violations.

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Anti Sterlite Row: 13 dead, public property worth Rs 10.2 million damaged

Delhi High Court today will likely hear a Tamil Nadu-based advocate’s petition pleading NHRC to visit Thoothukudi district and conduct an inquiry into the anti-Sterlite protest on its own.

 

Sterlite Protest : At least 13 people had died and 102 others were reported injured by Thursday in the anti-Sterlite protests in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi as the death toll kept increasing. Further, vehicles worth Rs 10.27 million were damaged and burnt down during the protests.

“A total of 13 people have died, including 11 men and 2 women. 102 people have been injured out of which 19 are severe cases. Vehicles worth Rs 1 crore 27 lakh have been burnt down,” said Shailesh Kumar, IG (South Range), while talking to news agencies.

At least 67 people have been arrested until now for indulging in violence and damage to public property.

Meanwhile, Vedanta Resources’ chairman on Thursday expressed sorrow over the deaths during the protests and said that the company wants to continue with the business and is committed to the community and people of Thoothukudi.

Here are the top developments around the Thoothukudi protests over the Sterlite expansion issue:

In pain over anti-Sterlite protest, says Vedanta chairman:

• Vedanta Resources Plc Chairman Anil Agarwal has expressed his sorrow over the anti-Sterlite protests in which 13 people have died. He said that he was in pain over the ongoing protest in Thoothukudi.
• “I am very sad to hear the incident. This was absolutely unfortunate, my full sympathy with the family. The plant is closed because of an annual shutdown and we are waiting for clearance from the court and the government to re-start the plant,” Agarwal said.

Will take legal steps to close factory, says Tamil Nadu CM:

• The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday said it was taking steps to close down the Sterlite factory at Thoothukudi after 13 people died when the police opened fire on protesters who were demanding the factory’s closure.
• “Amma’s (former CM J Jayalalithaa) government is taking the legal route to ensure that Sterlite is shut down,” said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

PIL in SC seeking CBI probe into Tuticorin violence:

• Advocate G S Mani on Thursday filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the deaths of protesters during the anti-Sterlite rally at Thoothukudi. The petition also sought a registration of an FIR against Thoothukudi collector, superintendent of police and other police officials.

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Sterlite Protests: 9 dead, 20 injured amid violent clashes in Tamil Nadu (Thoothukudi‬)

The protests had been going on for 100 days since Sterlite Copper announced its plans to invest Rs 25 billion in doubling the capacity of its existing facility to 800,000 tonnes per year.

Latest News India : As many as 9 people were killed on Tuesday and 20 others injured in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin, as a protest against Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper unit, going on for 100 days since the company announced its plans to invest Rs 25 billion in doubling the capacity of its existing facility to 800,000 tonnes per annum, turned violent. The protesters claim that the plant is causing harm to its employees and increasing the capacity of the plant would aggravate the problems.

Following a gas leak in March 2013, the then chief minister late J Jayalalithaa had ordered its closure, following which the company moved the National Green Tribunal. With the tribunal overturning the government order, the state moved the Supreme Court against it, and the petition has been pending since.

Meanwhile, Opposition leaders have condemned the deaths during the protest and blamed the government for being unable to control the situation.

Here are the Latest developments in the Tamil Nadu Protests:

In a government statement, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswamy confirmed that the death toll had touched nine. He announced Rs 1 million for those who lost family members, Rs 300,000 for people who were injured severely, and Rs 100,000 for those with minor injuries.

In an official statement, Sterlite Copper late on Tuesday expressed regret and sorrow over the deaths that took place during protests against it in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin. The company said it had appealed to the government to ensure safety of the employees of the plant, as well as the surrounding communities. “It’s with great sorrow and regret that we witnessed today’s incidents around the protest today at Tuticorin. The company has appealed to government and authorities to ensure the safety of our employees, facilities and surrounding communities. Sterlite Copper plant is non-operational as we await approval for the consent to operate,” the statement read.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi called the deaths during the protest “a brutal example of state-sponsored terrorism”. “The gunning down by the police of nine people in the #SterliteProtest in Tamil Nadu is a brutal example of state-sponsored terrorism. These citizens were murdered for protesting against injustice. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of these martyrs and the injured,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

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