CHENNAI: The Principal Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has appointed Tarun Agrawal, former Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court and former judge of Allahabad High Court, as chairman of three-member independent committee that will decide the fate of Vedanta Limited's Sterlite copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi.
Tarun Agrawal's appointment was necessitated after SJ Vazifdar, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court expressing inability to accept the appointment for personal reasons.
The green bench, in its latest order, confirmed the appointment of Tarun Agrawal and asked the parties to send relevant paper to the committee. "Pending the finalisation of remuneration by the Chief Secretary of the State of Tamil Nadu, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will provide immediate logistic
support and organise the visit of Justice Tarun Agrawal, Chairman of the Committee and other members to the site or to the venue of the hearing," the order dated August 30 reads.
A copy of the order has already been sent to Tarun Agrawal by email and copies to CPCB, Union environment ministry, Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, TNPCB, and Thoothukudi district collector.
Further, the tribunal said all other terms of order passed on August 20 will remain. When the Sterlite counsel handed over a copy of the letter dated August 29 addressed to the Thoothukudi collector for access to the administrative sections of the unit in accordance with the order dated August 20, the tribunal noted, "Since we (NGT) have already passed an order in this regard, no further order is necessary. If there is noncompliance, the applicant is at liberty to take its remedies or to point out the same before the Committee," the order says.
Sources told the Express, the committee is likely to visit Chennai next week and commence the proceedings. As per the tribunal's directives, the committee will have finish the job in six weeks and
submit its final report to the tribunal.
The committee will be conducting sitting at Chennai at the complex of the southern bench of NGT in Kalas Mahal or any other place as decided by the chairman of the committee.
Meanwhile, the appeal before Supreme Court filed by Tamil Nadu government challenging NGT's order to constitute independent committee to decide Sterlite case will be coming up for hearing next week.