Thoothukudi: Thoothukudi district collector, Sandeep Nanduri on Monday refuted rumours that Sterlite is to resume operation, asserting that the closure order of the government against the copper smelter plant remains unaltered.
The ‘rumours’ doing the rounds on social media are being sourced to media reports that the Vedanta has asked its employees to report for duty.
“They might have misconstrued the ongoing material evacuation process monitored by the sub-collector headed team as resumption of production,” said Nanduri.
He clarified that around 50% of the materials that included 3,600 metric tonnes of sulphuric acid, 420 tonnes of phosphoric acid, 12,600 tonnes of gypsum, 2,600 tonnes of rock phosphate, silicic acid, copper concentrate, liquid oxygen and other petroleum products like diesel, LPG and Isopropyl Alcohol have been evacuated from the factory site.
Other materials like rock phosphate and copper concentrates are the main raw materials resumption of production process is impossible without these, said the district collector, adding, that a bare minimum of the company employees have been engaged in the government-monitored process of evacuating the materials.
Responding to the company having arranged for a gathering of its employees at their residential quarters in Thoothukudi, the district collector said he has nothing to comment . The company administration in its communiqué said that employees meeting on Monday was just an internal employee communication engagement to inform employees about the developments in the ongoing issue. It has been said that the employees meet held on Monday was attended by top officials of the Vedanta resources to discuss the next course of action for the welfare of Sterlite employees.
