TN govt orders permanent closure of Vedanta group’s Sterlite plant in Tuticorin #Goodnews

TUTICORIN: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday ordered permanent closure of Vedanta group’s copper plant in Tuticorin, days after 13 people died in police action during anti-Sterlite protests.

The state government has asked the TN Pollution Control Board to seal the copper plant.

“Today, the main demand of the people is that the copper plant should be permanently closed. In keeping with their demand, it is shut now. I would like to make it clear that Sterlite plant will be permanently shut,” state deputy CM Panneerselvam said earlier today.

Large-scale violence on May 22 against the Sterlite copper plant and police firing led to the death of 12 persons and the next day saw one more youth succumbing to injuries sustained in police firing.

Sterlite Copper is a unit of Vedanta Ltd which operates a 400,000-tonne per annum capacity plant here.