Sterlite Copper to shift machinery from defunct Thoothukudi plant, activists raise doubts

Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu: Almost seven years after the plant was shut following massive protests culminating in the death of 13 civilians in police firing, Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper is likely to shift machinery and raw materials “meant for the expansion project” from the Thoothukudi copper smelter to Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The process of uninstalling of machines and removal of raw materials like sodium sulphate and ferric sulphate and their transportation is likely to start in a week or two with the Tamil Nadu government approving the request made by Sterlite Copper and granting it 80 days to complete the process, sources in the know told DH.

The development isn’t surprising as Vedanta has exhausted almost every available legal recourse to quash the 2020 Madras High Court order upholding the state government’s decision to seal the factory on charges of pollution on May 28, 2018.

The move also raises curiosity as it comes at a time when a silent campaign has been going on in the port city for the past few months demanding the reopening of the plant.

Vedanta’s review petition to reconsider its February 2024 judgement refusing to direct the reopening of the plant was dismissed in November last year, with only the option of a curative petition remaining in its hands.

“In its request letter, Sterlite Copper said it wants to move machines that it bought for the expansion plans (which never saw the light of the day) from Thoothukudi to its plant in Silvassa,” a source said. The source added the process will be monitored by a committee constituted by the Thoothukudi district administration.

Another source said the move by Sterlite Copper could be an indication that it was finally withdrawing from the state as it believes there was no chance of reopening the plant.

“The process of uninstalling the machines and taking them to another plant is a step in that direction,” the source added.

A detailed questionnaire sent to Vedanta on the development and future plans remained unanswered till the time of writing.

Activists who have been opposing Sterlite Copper’s presence in Thoothukudi aren’t completely convinced with the contention that the company was only taking away the machines meant for the expansion plans.

“Work on the phase-II never began and we really don’t know what kind of machines Sterlite wants to shift. We demand that the government be transparent in its handling of the issue concerning Vedanta,” Prof Fatima Babu, one of the first to move the court against Sterlite, told DH.

Fatima reiterated their demand that the entire plant be dismantled and questioned how advertisements continue to be published and protests demanding reopening of the plant are allowed when the Supreme Court has even dismissed the review petition.

“Before seeking the reopening, one has to remember that 15 innocent civilians died while fighting against the project,” Babu said, suspecting Vedanta to be behind the “advertisements”.

However, P Kathirvel, general secretary of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) who is behind the pro-Sterlite protests, said about 40,000 people will be indirectly benefitted if the factory was opened.

“One can’t say that only Sterlite is responsible for pollution in Thoothukudi. All we are concerned about is jobs and if resumed, the factory can provide jobs to 40,000 people directly and indirectly. We don’t mind even if the government takes over the factory and runs it,” he said.

The pro-Sterlite organisations have been petitioning the district administration to allow their protests demanding reopening of the factory but in vain given the sensitive nature of the issue.

Shutting down of the factory in Thoothukudi made India a net Copper importer from an exporter as it produced 4,00,000 tonnes of refined copper per year.

Sterlite Copper, which began operations in Thoothukudi in 1996, was shut on May 28, 2018, by the Tamil Nadu government on charges of polluting areas around the plant based on some advice from pollution watchdog, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).

In 2022, the company decided to sell the plant but made a U-turn and called the Thoothukudi plant “national asset” as it catered to 40 per cent of India’s demand for copper.

The Vedanta-owned company has been knocking the doors of judiciary ever since the smelter was closed down in 2018. It got a temporary reprieve in December 2018 when the National Green Tribunal revoked the TNPCB order, but the Supreme Court struck the order and asked Sterlite Copper to approach the Madras High Court which in 2020 upheld the government’s decision.

The global conglomerate didn’t get any relief even in the Supreme Court which refused to interfere with the High Court’s order. The apex court also dismissed a review petition against its order in November 2024. Vedanta also suffered another setback in January when the Union Government was forced to cancel a tungsten block allotted to its subsidiary, Hindustan Zinc Limited, in Madurai following protests against the project.