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SC to hear Vedanta plea on reopening of copper plant in TN
New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) The Supreme Court will hear on January 8 a plea by Vedanta group challenging the Madras High Court order directing status quo as it existed before the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) set aside the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to shut down the Sterlite’s copper smelting plant in Thoothukudi.
The bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the matter would be listed for hearing on Tuesday (January 8) after senior counsel C.A. Sundram mentioned the plea for an early hearing.
Sundram told the court that they have succeeded before the green tribunal.
The Madurai bench of Madras High Court had on December 21, 2018, ordered the status quo as existed prior to the NGT’s December 15 order by which the green tribunal had set aside the order of the state government shutting down the copper smelting plant for causing irreversible water pollution.
The high court had restrained Vedanta group from taking any step for the reopening of the copper smelting plant.
Directing the status quo till January 21, 2019, the high court had asked the state government to tell it if it intended to file an appeal against the NGT order for the re-opening of the plant.
The high court order on maintaining status quo had come on a petition by Tuticorin resident Fathima opposing the re-opening of the copper smelting plant.
The Tamil Nadu government on January 2 moved the top court challenging the NGT order for reopening the Thoothukudi plant. It has contended that the plant has caused irreversible water pollution.
The state government has asserted that it had furnished “sufficient evidence” to the NGT to show the operation of the copper smelting plant had “polluted the ground water”.
The Tamil Nadu government had on May 28, 2018 ordered the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to seal and “permanently” close the plant in the wake of violent protests by the people over pollution concerns.
The protests, which turned violent, resulted in the death of 13 people in a police firing on May 22-23 in Tuticorin.
Setting aside the order shutting down the plant permanently, the green tribunal by its December 15 order had directed the TNPCB to pass a fresh order permitting “renewal of consent and authorisation to handle hazardous waste”, within three weeks.
Directing TNPCB to pass the said order, the NGT’s principal bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had said that Vedanta would be entitled to restoration of electricity for the operations of its copper smelting plant.
The Tribunal had said that the restoration of electricity would be subject to the compliance of its directions on Vedanta spending Rs 100 crore on projects like water supply, hospitals, health services and skill development in the area.
The green tribunal had also directed that Vedanta would create a dedicated and interactive website where stakeholders could lodge their environment-related grievances, regular monitoring of the ground water quality as mandated by the TNPCB, and give timelines for “effective compliance” of the conclusions of the committee.
–IANS
pk/nir
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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