THOOTHUKUDI
CPI (M) State executive council member K. Kanakaraj on Wednesday said the three-member NGT committee was acting like a “mouthpiece” of Sterlite Copper.
He said the committee was acting beyond its powers and terms of reference. “It is not a good precedent if a committee headed by a retired judge can question the constitutional powers of the State government,” he said, adding the State had earlier ordered closure of the plant under Article 48 (A) (Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife) of the Constitution.
The NGT could function only within the Constitution, and the High Courts and the Supreme Court alone had the power to discuss orders passed by the government. The committee was asked only to hear the opinions of various sections and collect relevant documents to submit a report, he said.
He said the copy of the committee’s report was given only to the State government, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and Vedanta, while the other parties in the case, including the CPI (M), were not kept in the loop. Only some sections of the document would be uploaded on the NGT website, he added.
Such serious issues should be communicated to all parties in the case and the failure of the NGT to do so caused suspicion, he said. “The court had said the report should not be given to other parties in the case,” he added.
“All political parties are on the same side, and want closure of the plant,” he said.