The National Green Tribunal on Thursday set up a committee of experts committee led by P.S.T. Sai, professor, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, to examine the controversial copper smelter plant of Sterlite Industries in Tuticorin and submit all the reports on April 29.
The tribunal was looking after an appeal made by Sterlite Industries against the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board's (TNPCB) against the order to shut down the plant located in Tuticorin, around 650 km from Chennai claiming leakage of sulphur dioxide from the plant last month.
"The tribunal has set up a committee headed by Sai with three other members. The committee will have to submit its report April 29," D. Nagasaila, counsel for Fathima Babu, one of the respondents in the case, told IANS.
The committee will look over various equipments used in the smelter plant of Sterlite which are not used for commercial production.
The TNPCB on March 30 had ordered to shut down the 400,000-tonne per annum copper smelter plant following the sulphur-di-oxide leakage from the plant on March 23, which is affecting a large number of residents of Tuticorin.
The Supreme Court on April 2, ignoring an earlier order of Madras High Court, allowed Sterlite's copper smelting plant to continue operations, but asked Sterlite to deposit Rs.100 crore to the authorities in order to rectify the environmental damage caused from 1997 to 2012.
"For such damages caused to the environment from 1997 to 2012 and for operating the plant without a valid renewal (of licence) for a fairly long period, the appellant-company obviously is liable to compensate by paying damages," the court said.
-With inputs from IANS
|
|
Comments:
