INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
The plant has been closed since May
India's Supreme Court has
ordered the reopening of a copper smelter that was shut down because of the environmental damage it was allegedly causing
The plant in the southern port city of Tuticorin was closed in May after police killed 13 people amid protests by residents
They said the smelter was polluting ground water in the area and threatened the fishing industry.India's environment court had cleared the
plant's reopening in December
But the state government of Tamil Nadu had appealed against the decision in the Supreme Court
The plant, Sterlite Copper, is a subsidiary of the UK-based Vedanta conglomerate
Protests demanding its closure had been going on for months by the time it was shut in May
But no-one had reportedly been working in the plant for nearly two months before that.The company's operational licence had expired in April
and the company was waiting for the government to renew it.Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Police killed 13 people amid
protests by residents in May
The state pollution control board also disconnected electricity supply to the plant, alleging
that it had failed to adhere to certain agreed upon environmental conditions.But Vedanta had denied the allegations
This isn't the first time Vedanta's plans have sparked protests over environmental pollution
In 2010, the Indian government had rejected the company's bid to mine bauxite in the eastern state of Orissa
The company had said the proposed $2.7bn investment in the area would bring jobs and development to one of India's poorest districts
But local tribespeople objected, saying the mining project would destroy their sacred hill and their source of livelihood
