It’s been over two years since Vedanta's Tuticorin copper smelter has been ordered shut. In May 2018, the company’s Sterlite Copper plant saw the Tamil Nadu Government issue orders for its closure just days after local police shot 13 protesters dead. The protesters had been demonstrating against plant operations, alleging that its effluents were causing pollution in the town.

Share Market Live

NSE

On Tuesday, the Madras High Court dismissed Vedanta’s petition against the state government’s closure orders. The company is expected to move the Supreme Court against the verdict. However, the bigger worry for Sterlite Copper — its legal woes aside — is that for over two years now, the company has been unable to access the plant in order to conduct basic maintenance checks.

Sterlite Copper’s CEO Pankaj Kumar has now warned that the impact could be worrisome. “All we wanted is to keep the asset healthy even if we don’t operate it in the future,” said Kumar, speaking exclusively to CNBC-TV18, “We were looking to at least move assets here and there. But we are unable to do even that. Post-COVID, we have been hearing of accidents occurring at plants that were unattended to. This is a worrisome situation for us as well.”

‘Protests in 2018 carried out with an agenda’

Kumar has maintained that the anti-Sterlite protests in 2018 and the subsequent closure of the plant by the Tamil Nadu Government were the results of a conspiracy aimed at the company. The Sterlite boss told CNBC-TV18 that he believed a “group of people” with a “fixed agenda” succeeded at shutting Vedanta’s copper smelter unit down. He did not elaborate on who he was referring to.

ALSO READ: ‘Case against Vedanta was always legally tenable’, activists hail Madras HC ruling

“There were vested interests in Tuticorin for wanting us closed down,” said Kumar, “We were a fully operational plant running for the last 25 years. There was no pollution that came up in the last five years and no complaints about locals. Suddenly, we find a group of people with a fixed agenda to shut us down. That was what led to the protests and the firing. The local people are not connected to this. Those protesters who were locals were merely misguided.”

On Tuesday, the Madras High Court dismissed Vedanta’s petition against the closure of the plant by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board in May 2018. In 2018, police personnel in Tuticorin fatally shot down 13 protesters who were demanding the closure of Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper plant in the town. Later, the Tamil Nadu Government ordered the plant shut.

Although the NGT ruled against the Tamil Nadu Government’s order, the Supreme Court directed Vedanta to file an appeal in the Madras High Court first, owing to jurisdictional issues surrounding the court of appeal. While Vedanta was confident of winning its case against the state government, the High Court ruling has left Kumar “shocked”.

‘NGT passed judgements in our favour’

“Legal luminaries heard our case in the NGT and passed judgement in our favour on merit alone,” said, “The Supreme Court accepted our arguments and did not say anything against the merit of the case, but asked us to go high court on account of the jurisdiction alone.”

Kumar pointed out that allegations surrounding Sterlite Copper causing pollution were put to rest seven years ago. “This case was never about pollution. When the SC heard our case and passed judgement in 2013, they put all pollution issues to rest,” he said, “Post-2013 there was no case, and no instances were cited that we were polluting.”

Kumar said that it’s “ironic” that a country that wants to be self-reliant is importing copper while closing down a fully functioning copper smelter. “We are a fully-compliant plant for the last 25 years, producing 40 percent of the nation’s copper,” he pointed out, “After we’re shut down unceremoniously, this nation begins importing copper. It’s quite ironic.”

First Published:Aug 19, 2020 9:03 PM IST