Sir — This refers to the report, “Sterlite shut, allotment of land for unit II nixed” (May 30). The news of permanent closure of the Sterlite Copper Smelting plant Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, may be a great victory for the labour class and for the ecology of the adjoining area. But huge investment by the Vedanta Group, after worldwide survey to assess the demand for copper, will be lost.
The best action will be to ensure that the plant is relocated 25 kms away from the Gulf of Mannar and not 14 kms away as it is at the present. The plant must not overproduce.
Anil Agarwal is one of the richest man in Britain. His business instinct motivated him to indulge in overproduction to take advantage of the booming market in copper. In West Bengal, the destruction of the Singur plant, on grounds of fertile multi-crop agricultural land being destroyed, is a similar example. After the abortion of the plant at the ripe time, the political party which spearheaded the agitation should have taken care of the huge industrial structure in steel, which have all vanished into thin air.