Operation beyond permissible duration not acceptable, say anti-Sterlite protestors

The opponents of Sterlite have said they will not stay patiently if the plant operates beyond the permissible time limit which is July 30th. The liquid medical Oxygen produced in the Sterlite Oxygen Production Unit is currently being sent to more than 30 districts in Tamil Nadu.

Thoothukkudi (Tamil Nadu): The activists against the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi have said that the prospect of the plant operating beyond its permissible time is not acceptable. The plant was given permission to produce liquid Medical Oxygen by the Supreme Court amid a shortage of medical-grade oxygen in the country during the peak of the second wave of coronavirus in the country.

The activists have warned that they will not stay patiently if the plant operates beyond the permissible time limit which is July 30th. The liquid medical Oxygen produced in the Sterlite Oxygen Production Unit is currently being sent to more than 30 districts in Tamil Nadu.

In this scenario, a meeting regarding the Sterlite plant was held on Wednesday at the Thoothukudi District Collectorate. The meeting was headed by Senthil Raj, Chairman of Oxygen Production Monitoring Committee and District Collector. Professor Fathima Babu was present in the meeting on behalf of the Anti-Sterlite protesters. Raja, an administrator on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, and many others were also present.

Details, including the amount of liquid oxygen produced at the Sterlite plant so far, were discussed in the meeting.

Talking to the media after the meeting, Fatima babu and Raja said that among the two production units of the plant, only one unit was producing oxygen. As the Sterlite management told the court, the full target of 1,050 metric tons has not been reached yet.

They said that a lot of people fear that Sterlite will continue its operations after the permissible time.

"The people of Thoothukkudi will never accept the operation of the Sterlite plant beyond the period allowed by the court. The agitation among people will again lead to mass protests against the Sterlite plant in Thoothukudi," they warned.