Contending that the DMK agreed to allow oxygen plants inside Sterlite Copper factory in Thoothukudi only on “humanitarian grounds”, party chief M K Stalin on Tuesday asserted that the entire copper smelter will be “sealed” once the period allowed by the Supreme Court to operate the plants is over.
In a statement, Stalin also accused the “care-taker government” of not explaining the resolution passed at an all-party meeting chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday.
The all-party meeting had resolved to allow operation of the plant under the supervision of a committee that will have members from anti-Sterlite protesters and locals. The meeting also said the oxygen produced at the plants should be transported to other states only after meeting the demands of Tamil Nadu.
“During the hearing, the Supreme Court has said that the oxygen produced will go to the central pool and will be allotted to states based on the need. This is because of the failure of the care-taker government in explaining the resolution passed at the all-party meeting,” Stalin said.
Contending that the right approach would be to supply oxygen to other states once Tamil Nadu's demands are met, he asked the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to intervene immediately and inform officials of the state government and advice them accordingly.
“Once the DMK government assumes office, the Sterlite factory will be sealed completely after the temporary time period is over,” Stalin added. The clarification by the DMK came after it was criticised for not raising its voice against Sterlite Copper running the plant. Activists and environmentalists wanted the government to run the plant.
Meanwhile, anti-Sterlite protesters expressed disappointment at the Supreme Court verdict, saying they have no “trust” in the words of Vedanta, the company that owns Sterlite Copper.
“We are extremely unhappy with the decision of the all-party meeting and the court allowing access to the plants to Sterlite Copper. We are not in a position to trust any expert because we have had several issues in the past. Sterlite Copper has been violating every establish practice,” Prof. Fathima Babu, one of the first to move courts against the Vedanta-owned company, told DH.