Scuffles mar NGT’s public hearing on Sterlite plant

  • | Monday | 24th September, 2018

A large number of people supporting the closure of the Sterlite plant submitted their petitions and raised slogans against the plant. On Saturday, the team inspected a patta land where copper slag from the Sterlite plant was allegedly dumped as landfill. As hostilities continued, the police advised the people arriving to submit petitions in favour of the Sterlite plant to hold back. They are also alleged to have used vulgar language against the supporters of the Sterlite plant, including advocates and employees of the unit, a few of whom were manhandled and assaulted. A senior police official said that those seeking the reopening of the plant submitted their petitions after the crowd dispersed.

more-in A series of brawls and scuffles broke out on Sunday on the Government Polytechnic College premises, where a public hearing was held by the committee set up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to consider Vedanta’s plea seeking the reopening of the Sterlite plant. A large number of people supporting the closure of the Sterlite plant submitted their petitions and raised slogans against the plant. Some of them allegedly prevented pro-Sterlite groups from entering the room where retired Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court Tarun Agrawal and other members of the NGT team were hearing the petitioners. They are also alleged to have used vulgar language against the supporters of the Sterlite plant, including advocates and employees of the unit, a few of whom were manhandled and assaulted. As separate pathways to the room had not been arranged for those in favour of and against the Sterlite plant, several clashes were witnessed between the two groups. As hostilities continued, the police advised the people arriving to submit petitions in favour of the Sterlite plant to hold back. A senior police official said that those seeking the reopening of the plant submitted their petitions after the crowd dispersed. “About 150-200 persons returned to submit their petitions,” he said. Mr. Agrawal said that around 2,000 petitions were submitted. “[A] majority of these persons who came here were for the closure of the factory,” he said. “We’ll study their representations and take action.” Members of the DMK, led by MLA P. Geetha Jeevan, along with those of the Congress, the MDMK, the CPI(M), the DMDK, the AMMK and the Naam Tamilar Katchi submitted petitions against the Sterlite plant. MLA S.P. Shanmuganathan also submitted a petition with similar demands. Earlier in the morning, a team comprising H.D. Varalaxmi, Senior Environmental Engineer, Regional Directorate of the Central Pollution Control Board, Satish C. Garkoti, scientist from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, D. Sekar, Member Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, District Collector Sandeep Nanduri and other officials inspected the Sterlite plant. Senior representatives from the company were also present. When the team was interacting with the public at A. Kumarettiyapuram, people in three vans, supposedly in favour of the plant, arrived there, triggering heated arguments. Replying to a query whether the NGT panel’s two-day visit was sufficient, Mr. Agrawal said, “We have done a lot of inspections. Let’s see what happens.” The team had inspected a “large number of spots”, he added. He said the team would visit Thoothukudi again, if required. After the hearing, the team left for Chennai, where a meeting with the parties concerned has been scheduled at the green tribunal’s Southern Bench on Monday morning. On Saturday, the team inspected a patta land where copper slag from the Sterlite plant was allegedly dumped as landfill.

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