The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday constituted an “independent body” to decide Vedanta Limited’s plea challenging the Tamil Nadu government’s order for the closure of the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi.
The committee would be headed by a retired judge, and would comprise representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
A bench, headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, directed the committee to assume charge in two weeks and submit a report in six weeks.
Further, the NGT said the committee could visit the site of the Sterlite unit to gather the “technical data” it may require.
During the hearing, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) informed the bench that a joint inspection it carried out with the State Pollution Control Board had revealed that the lack of maintenance of the plant could pose an environmental threat due to the chemicals stored in the unit.
The green panel rapped the TNPCB for not providing “enough data” to establish the level of pollution caused by the plant. However, it refused to grant permission to Vedanta to access the plant for maintenance purposes.
Speaking to The Hindu, Sterlite CEO P. Ramnath said, “It is notable that the State government and the State Pollution Control Board were questioned for closing down the plant without proper data. As for access to the plant for maintenance purposes, the Committee will decide whether we should also be a part of the process, which we welcome.”