PM flags ‘national interest’ as Sterlite seeks ‘green copper’ making in Tuticorin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has questioned the closure of the Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin, citing national interest and economic concerns regarding copper imports. The plant has been shuttered since 2018 following deadly protests and environmental violations upheld by the courts.
Why it matters
It reflects the tension between industrial development, environmental regulation, and public protest in India's economic policy.
The Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi has been shut for eight years. Around the time of the police firing on protesters in 2018 that left 13 dead and about 100 injured, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) withdrew its consent for the plant to operate. The State government subsequently ordered its closure. Citing repeated environmental violations and holding the company responsible for a sulphur dioxide leak in 2013, the Madras High Court upheld the closure order. The Supreme Court later endorsed that ruling. For many in Tamil Nadu, Sterlite seemed a closed chapter. Yet, on May 10 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the Sterlite issue, lamenting the closure and seeing a conspiracy behind it. “There was a time when India used to export copper. But today, India has to import copper. In our country, strikes and protests led to copper plants being shut down,” he said.
The article balances the Prime Minister's economic arguments with the historical context of environmental violations and court rulings.
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