A day-long general strike demandingpermanent closure of the copper smelter plant of Sterlite Industries (India)Ltd will be held Monday at Tuticorin, said MDMK party general secretary VaikoSaturday.
The company is part of Britain-based Vedanta Resources Group.
In a statement issued here, MDMK founder Vaiko said the anti-Sterlite movementhas called for a one-day general strike demanding the permanent closure of thecopper smelter plant at Tuticorin, around 600 km from here.
"The protest against the plant is continuing in order to prevent theoccurrence of another 'Bhopal Gas' tragedy in Tuticorin," Vaiko said.
According to him, the copper concentrate imported by Sterlite from Australiahas dangerous and poisonous elements like uranium and arsenic, among othertoxic substances.
Vaiko said the Maharashtra government cancelled the licence to Sterlite'scopper smelter plant after the people of Ratnagiri district demolished thecompany's office there. The governments of Gujarat and Goa did not allow thesmelter plant.
He said the Supreme Court, while setting aside the 2010 Madras High Court orderto shut down the copper smelter plant, has said the Tamil Nadu PollutionControl Board (TNPCB) has the power to pass appropriate orders in connectionwith the plant.
On March 30, the TNPCB ordered the closure after sulphur-di-oxide leaked fromthe plant March 23, affecting a large number of residents of Tuticorin.
Sterlite has gone on appeal against the closure order at the National GreenTribunal.
The Supreme Court April 2, setting aside the Madras High Court order, allowedSterlite's copper smelting plant to continue operations, but asked it todeposit Rs.100 crore with the authorities to restore the environmental damagecaused from 1997 to 2012.
Pointing to the various violations of environmental norms, the court said:"For such damages caused to the environment from 1997 to 2012 and foroperating the plant without a valid renewal (of licence) for a fairly longperiod, the appellant-company obviously is liable to compensate by payingdamages."