India’s largest copper plant situated in Tamil Nadu is to close, after months of bloody demonstrations, which saw Indian police shoot dead 13 protestors last week.
The plant in Thoothukudi is run by London-listed Vedanta Resources, and has faced increased pressure to close after police used lethal force last week. The killings led to UK’s shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, labelling it a “massacre” and for Vedanta to be de-listed from the London Stock Exchange, to “prevent further reputational damage to London's financial markets from this rogue corporation”.
Tamil Nadu’s chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami met with government officials on Monday and said,
“We have taken a decision to permanently shut down the plant and today issued government orders to do the same”.
However, Vedanta may still fight to keep the plant open, with the company’s chairman Anil Agarwal stating it was the victim of “fake activism” on Monday.
The chief of, P. Ramnath, head of Vedanta’s India copper business also told Reuters that the company would legally fight any attempt to close the plant.
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