CHENNAI: The three-member expert panel, constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to decide the fate of the ‘closed’ Sterlite copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi, on Monday gave a liberal and patient hearing to the arguments put forth by Sterlite counsel. The company submitted a whopping 45,000 letters of support claimed to have been signed by Thoothukudi residents, along with their Aadhaar card copies.
In a four-hour-long sitting inside the packed court hall of the NGT southern bench, senior counsel and former advocate general of Tamil Nadu PS Raman, who represented Sterlite, vehemently contested the grounds on which the consent to operate renewal was rejected and the subsequent closure order.
The counsel submitted a representation seeking interim relief, including care and maintenance of the plant. This apart, supporting Sterlite, there were a battery of businessmen from Thoothukudi who argued that the closure had robbed them of livelihood as copper from the smelter unit was their main raw material.
Sterlite had engaged multiple PR teams to garner enough support in and out of the court hall. Though it was supposed to be an open court hall sitting, media was purposefully kept out.
The committee, headed by Justice Tarun Agarwal, former chief justice of Meghalaya High Court and consisting of Satish C Garkoti, scientist at the Union Environment Ministry and HD Varalaxmi from the Regional Directorate of the Central Pollution Control Board, has received 45,000 letters of support and representations from industrialists, while anti-Sterlite activists outside the court halls shouted that letters were fudged and bribes given in return for Aadhar card copies.
Due to time constraint, the NGT panel adjourned the matter to October 5 when the State government and other interveners in the case will be heard.
MDMK founder leader Vaiko, who remained a mute spectator at the hearing, said that the company tried to stage-manage the sitting bringing in people and businessmen from Thoothukudi. Marxist communist representative Arjunan, activist Fathima Babu and Traders Association representative Raja from Thoothukudi appeared before the committee as interveners.
After the hearing got over, a verbal duel broke out between the pro- and anti-Sterlite groups. The anti-Sterlite group members charged that those who supported were in the company’s payrolls. However, a group of pro-Sterlite members said the anti-group was provoking and thereby trying to create problems.