The Indian Supreme Court has reserved its order on a plea of Vedanta subsidiary Sterlite Industries Ltd. (SIL), which has sought permission to continue operating its Tamil Nadu-based copper smelting plant which was ordered shut over green concerns.
An apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik reserved the order after it was told about the adverse findings of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) about the operation of the smelting plant in Tuticorin and its impact on air, water and soil in the area.
The court’s decision to reserve its order follows its interim order Oct 1, 2010, by which it had stayed the Madras High Court’s Sep 28, 2010, direction to close the plant.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=11169.