Madras HC stays plea against Sterlite land allotment

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has stayed the State Industrial Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd (SIPCOT) decision to cancel the land allotted Vedanta Ltd's Sterlite Copper plant's expansion at Thoothukudi.

Judge V Parthiban of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday stayed the SIPCOT's decision to cancel the land allotment to Sterlite Copper for its proposed second unit in Thoothukudi.

The SIPCOT cancelled the land allotment on May 28 after the Tamil Nadu government ordered the state pollution control board to seal and permanently close the copper smelter plant in the wake of the May 22 protests, over the pollution concern, during which 13 people were killed in police firing.

The Sterlite has moved the NGT to vacate the state government order to permanently shut its existing plant. It is also battling a case seeking to vacate a stay on the environmental clearance to set up the second phase of expansion.

However, a petition from Sterlite seeking to vacate a stay on the environmental clearance obtained by Anti-Sterlite campaigner Fatima Babu remains pending in court. The state pollution control board had also withdrawn the Consent to Establish allotted for the second expansion.

"As the allotment of land for the proposed expansion has been made by SIPCOT, in larger public interest, the land allotment made by SIPCOT for proposed expansion of copper smelter plant (Phase-2) by Vedanta Ltd is hereby cancelled," SIPCOT had said in its communication to the Vedanta group. "The land price collected for the said land allotment will be refunded as per the norms of SIPCOT," it said.