Thoothukudi, Tamilnadu sources reported that Thoothukudi revenue divisional officer (RDO) Prashant inspected ongoing expansion works at the Sterlite copper plant and following the mass agitation against the copper smelting plant going for an expansion of enhancing its capacity by four lakh tonnes per year in addition to the existing production capacity, the plant is said to have temporarily suspended its expansion work.
Sources stated that Thoothukudi RDO along with the Thoothukudi district engineer of the Tamil Nadu pollution control board and Ottapidaram Tahsildar visited the Sterlite factory. Meanwhile according to revenue sources, the RDO inspected the expansion works and operation of the existing unit. Moreover he is also said to have verified documents related to the ongoing expansion works.
According to sources
after about an hour, Thoothukudi RDO Prashant left the plant at around 1.15 pm
to visit the surrounding villages where he met people and listened to their
grievances. Furthermore the official team too is reported to have taken
groundwater samples from the villages. Previously the left parties demanded an
alternative job opportunity for employees, when the copper smelter plant was
closed down in 2013 and currently it is reluctant to be taking up the plight of
the employees.
