Won't move out of TN in haste: Anil Agarwal on Sterlite's Thoothukudi plant

Vedanta group Chairman Anil Agarwal said that the company is waiting for Supreme Court’s verdict on reopening the Sterlite Copper smelting plant in Thootikudi and will not relocate the plant to another state.

“We have received interest from a number of States to relocate the plant, but we have huge employment at Thoothukudi, we have not retrenched a single person. We are waiting for the Supreme Court’s verdict and we are hoping for a positive verdict,” Agarwal was quoted as saying by Hindu BusinessLine.

The plant was closed in May 2018, following an order by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board over pollution concerns. The TNPCB ordered the closure of the plant permanently after 13 protestors were shot in police firing.

Agarwal said that the protests were instigated by “international vested interests who do not want India to produce copper”.

“There was propaganda by vested interest otherwise local people are supporting the project by and large. I am not worried about the local aspects at all,” Agarwal said.

Vedanta challenged the closure of the plant in the Madras High Court, but the court didn’t allow the reopening of the plant. The company then filed a petition in the Supreme Court and the decision is pending.

Also read: TN allows Vedanta to temporarily operate oxygen units at Thoothukudi

The company has lost more than ₹4,000 crore from the Thoothukudi plant since its shutdown.

The plant employed 4,397 people directly and benefited over 17,000 people, representing various stakeholders such as product makers, transporters and suppliers.

When asked if the option to shift the factory to another State is being considered, Agarwal said, “While coastal States such as Andhra Pradesh are interested in the project we don’t want to do anything in haste. We can go to another state but we have been in Thoothukudi for over 20 years. We like the people there and we have the trust of the local people.”