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Chennai, Feb 23: The green bench of the Madras high court has allowed Sterlite Industries to continue production at its copper-smelter plant in Tuticorin till further orders. The bench comprising acting chief justice NK Jain and judge KP Sivasubramanian posted further hearing of the case to April 28. This follows submission of a status report by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri).
In its report dated November 17, 1998, the institute said that the company satisfactorily complied with the various suggestions made.
Neeri was asked to suggest various minimum measures that Sterlite Industries would have to undertake if it was to be allowed to reopen the smelter plant as an interim measure pending final disposal of the writ petition. The unit was closed for 33 days.
In its report, Neeri says that the company has complied with its suggestions and has also initiated steps to undertake a comprehensive environmental-impact and risk-assessment study. The company has approached TataConsultancy Services, Engineers India, Micon, and Neeri, and shortlisting will take place shortly.
The institute, while stating that the company is producing at the permitted capacity of 40 per cent, has asked Sterlite to immediately get permission to produce copper anodes from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. Sterlite Industries, on date, has permission only to produce copper blisters.
Sterlite maintains that copper anode is only another form of copper blisters, which is disputed by the environmentalists.
Neeri has also stated, among other things, the need for an adequate environmental-management plan considering that the plant is located within 25 km of the Gulf of Mannar, an ecologically fragile area. It has said that the company should give an undertaking to the court that it would carefully follow all provisions of environment management plan while at the same time developing green belt using the treated waste water.
The institute has also suggested an immediate epidemiological study bythe Tamil Nadu health ministry to confirm or negate evidences of adverse health impact caused to people residing near Sterlite Industries.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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