Tamil Nadu: Supreme Court permits Vedanta to run Sterlite plant for oxygen manufacturing

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Vedanta Limited to run the Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu to provide medical oxygen.
This comes a day after the Tamil Nadu authorities had determined to reopen the Sterlite copper smelter plant at Thoothukudi for a interval of 4 months to provide medical oxygen.

Supreme Court permits permit Vedanta Ltd plea to function the oxygen plant in Sterlite Copper, Tamil Nadu, as a standalone unit in view of the nationwide want for oxygen. Says it won’t create any equities in favour of Vedanta. @IndianExpress
— Ananthakrishnan G (@axidentaljourno) April 27, 2021
“The copper smelter plant at Thoothukudi would be allowed to reopen for a period of four months only to manufacture oxygen. Under no circumstance will Vedanta be allowed to open or operate other plants that would be used for copper production. Based on the requirement of oxygen, the period might be extended. The electricity supply to the oxygen plants would be cut by the government after the specified period,” Chief Minister Edappadi Okay Palaniswami had mentioned.

The copper smelter plant at Thoothukudi was shut down in 2018 by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board over environmental violations. On May 22, 2018, not less than 13 individuals have been killed and several other others have been injured when the state police fired at individuals who had taken out an indication towards the development of a brand new smelter plant by Vedanta.