Permanent shutdown of Sterlite plant: Tamil Nadu's order on a weak wicket?.

The Tamil Nadu government on May 28 instructed its state pollution control board to 'permanently' shut down the existing 1,200-tonne-per-day Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi. The plant had already been shut down four days earlier after police action to quell protests, going on for months, left as many as 13 people dead.

However, there seem to be doubts around the state government's order with respect to legality and possible procedural fault. The state's previous attempt to shut down the copper plant in 2013 had been shot down by the National Green Tribunal.

BS