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Madras HC green bench orders closure of Sterlite's Tuticorin plant

The green bench of the Madras high court today ordered an immediate halt to the functioning of the Sterlite copper-smelter plant at Tuticorin in the wake of a series of mishaps in the plant and the submission of the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Institute's report on the plant's functioning.

The green bench consisting of Chief Justice M S Lieberhan and Justice E Padmanabhan, on writ petitions filed by Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko and others seeking a directive to the Union and state governments to stop the plant functioning, had asked the NEERI to go into the matter and submit a report.

The state government had asked the plant to suspend functioning in June last year following a blast in which five workers were killed. The plant resumed functioning after three months. Last week, five persons had sustained injuries in another blast in the plant.

Giving its directive, the green bench said it would not be in public interest to permit the functioning of the plant.

Posting further hearing in the case to December 1, the bench said it was open to the Sterlite management to file an appropriate undertaking or affidavit regarding the NEERI report before the court.

UNI

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