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The Supreme Court is all set to hear Tamil Nadu Government's plea on Friday against a previous order of National Green Tribunal that allowed the mining behemoth, Vedanta to access the administrative unit of the much disputed Sterlite Copper Plant in Tutecorin. The order was passed by the principal bench of National Green Tribunal headed by Chairperson, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel.
In April 2018, Sterlite Plant's Consent to Operate certificate was not renewed by the State Pollution Control Board due to the plant's failure to comply with the set regulations and prescribed conditions. The State Forest and Environment Department took a note of this and consequently the permanent shutting of the plant was ordered on May 28. It was submitted to the bench on August 9 via the groundwater analysis report that the copper slack was securely disposed alongside the river Uppar and there was no chance of it seeping into the river and causing contamination of the water. It was further submitted that there was no objection on the part of the appellant to comply with the rules of waste management and that the waste could also be tested for the presence of prohibited heavy metals in an appropriate laboratory. Also, the Gypsum Pond as required by the PCB guidelines will be completed in nine months.
The counsel for state of Tamil Nadu contended that such disposal was actually on the banks of the river and not secured. It was also mentioned that the plant's unit was responsible for higher Total Dissolve Solids(TDS) in groundwater. The claims of the state were disputed by the appellant who was then required by the Tribunal to have a verification of the TDS content in its discharged effluents. The tribunal further allowed Vedanta's access to the administrative unit of the plant in the interim. The NGT chairperson asked the PCB to send its representative to the plant's unit and make a report on the waste lying there and its manner of disposal. The hearing is scheduled for August 20. 2018.
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