Vedanta, one of the world’s largest metal producers, said its application for renewal of consent for operating its smelter plant in Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu has been rejected.
The company had shut down the copper smelting plant on March 27 “as part of a regular maintenance program,” it said.
“..the Company had applied for renewal of consent to operate (CTO) for its existing Smelter plant at Thoothukudi. The application has been rejected for want of more clarifications,” it said.
Vedanta said it is evaluating further course of action.
“The scheduled maintenance activities were supposed to be for a period of approximately 15 days from the said date is now likely to be extended given the above development. The Company shall update further developments from time to time,” it added.
The company runs its copper smelter plant in the town, also known as Tuticorin, with a capacity of more than 1,000 tons per day.
However, the plant has been the target of agitation by locals over concerns about pollution.
People have even carried out protests against the plant outside Vedanta Group chairman’s house in London.
The copper operations are estimated to contribute about 3% of the state’s GDP, according to the company’s website.