Clamour for reopening or revival of closed Sterlite Industries (a copper smelter) in Thoothukudi gains momentum. The irony is the same people who protested, believing the fringe pro-Chinese elements in closure of the same alleging environmental and health impacts. The same set of people now press hard for its revival for their livelihood, saying Sterlite was singled out while most other environmentally causing industries were untouched or not mentioned. They say there are 60-plus red category units operating in the district. The so-called environmental activists had turned a blind eye to them but only opposed Sterlite.
In the past few months, these voices from the public, truck operators, chemical suppliers and ancillary industries reached their pinnacle. The same DMK government which once helped Sterlite to set up a unit in Thoothukudi in 2018 while sitting in opposition benches worked hard for its closure. It joined hands with pro-Chinese elements, Left, Makkal Athikaram and church and missionary elements in steering the protest that turned violent in May 2018. To quell the violence police fired shots killing 13 people. The then AIADMK government, following protests, set up a one-man commission led by retired HC judge Aruna Jagathesan that found fault with police officers. It submitted its report which the DMK is yet to act upon.
The Sterlite Copper industries at Thoothukudi was shut down in 2018 following accusations of air pollution and groundwater contamination. Vedanta Group that owned the industry, after failing to get favourable court reprieve despite expert committee suggesting reopening of the same and the directions of the court, has been shifting its machinery. People and experts feel it should have been allowed to function partially instead of the total closure with additional regulatory restrictions and safety norms. Sterlite has been ready to follow even severe norms and corrective measures if allowed to reopen. At a time the domestic copper production is struggling to keep pace with the burgeoning demand and rise in its cost. Currently China’s monopoly sets the price globally. To meet the demand, Kutch Copper unit in Gujarat started production earlier this year supplying refined copper for industries, electric vehicle manufacturers and for solar and wind energy sectors. What is the loss for Tamil Nadu is gain for Gujarat or other States.
Let us see some pro-Sterlite protests in the recent past. On 4 September 2025, over a hundred auto rickshaw drivers from Thoothukudi, led by Karuppasamy, Secretary of the Muthunagar Auto Drivers Welfare Association, met DMK MP Kanimozhi at her camp office and submitted a petition urging her to initiate a special resolution in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for the reopening of the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi under a “green copper” production model.
#NewsUpdate | கனிமொழி எம்.பி.யிடம் மனு
தூத்துக்குடி ஸ்டெர்லைட் ஆலையை திறக்க சிறப்பு தீர்மானம் கொண்டுவரக்கோரி ஆட்டோ ஓட்டுநர்கள் கனிமொழி எம்.பி.-யிடம் மனு அளித்தனர்
ஸ்டெர்லைட் ஆலை மூடப்பட்டதற்கு சட்டரீதியான காரணங்கள் ஏதுமில்லை என்றும், ஸ்டெர்லைட் ஆலை ஊழியர்கள், அதனை நம்பி இருந்த… pic.twitter.com/d4rt8zAO8H
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) September 4, 2025
In July 2025, thousands of people protested outside the district magistrate office demanding reopening of Sterlite Copper plant which was shut down by AIADMK government in May 2018. Since then residents of neighbouring villages and several outfits have been submitting continuously at the Collectorate demanding the revival of the same.
ஸ்டெர்லைட் ஆலையை மீண்டும் திறக்க வலியுறுத்தல்… மீனவ கிராம மக்கள் முற்றுகை போராட்டம்#THoothukudi #SterliteFactory #Fisherman #Protest #TamilNews #NewsTamil #NewsTamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/lFs3iCcd7z
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) July 21, 2025
The protesting villagers have urged the need for a green copper production at the Sterlite plant citing media reports about a scientific expert committee’s recommendations to restart the plant in an environmentally sustainable manner. The petition has urged the government to accept the suggestions of the panel and take necessary actions to reopen the plant.
Cant throw the baby away with bath water! https://t.co/mcyY3YiH7E
— karthik gopinath (@karthikgnath) July 7, 2025
The petition filed by Tsunami Nagar residents said around 150 individuals from their area worked at the plant. After its closure they have been jobless and struggling for livelihood. Earlier, Pandaram Patti South, Veerapandiapuram, fisherfolk from Threspuram, and members of women’s self-help groups rallied, stating that the plant’s closure had robbed them of jobs and economic security and laid siege to the Collectorate.
ஸ்டெர்லைட் ஆலையை மீண்டும் திறக்க வலியுறுத்தல்… மீனவ கிராம மக்கள் முற்றுகை போராட்டம்#THoothukudi #SterliteFactory #Fisherman #Protest #TamilNews #NewsTamil #NewsTamil24x7 pic.twitter.com/lFs3iCcd7z
— News Tamil 24×7 (@NewsTamilTV24x7) July 21, 2025
On 16 June 2025, villagers from South Veerapandiapuram, Saminatham, and nearby communities gathered outside the Thoothukudi District Collector’s Office. Many of them were ex-employees, who now struggle to survive as low-paid labourers. INTUC national secretary Kathirvelu (a DMK ally) openly questioned the inconsistency in allowing copper smelters to operate in other states while Sterlite remains shut, saying if pollution was the concern, it should be addressed with uniform regulations across India.
In January, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi stressed the importance of reopening the Sterlite Copper plant, citing economic benefits and the livelihood of thousands dependent on the factory. He suggested the State government should take positive steps based on scientific recommendations to implement the reopening, which would revive the local economy and address significant revenue losses after the factory’s closure in 2018.
ஸ்டெர்லைட்டை தாமிர ஆலையின் அவசியத்தை மேதகு தமிழக கவர்னர் திரு RN. ரவி அவர்கள் கடந்த வருடம் மாணவ மாணவியரிடம் உரையாற்றி அருமையாக விழிப்புணர்வு செய்த அந்த காணொளி உங்கள் பார்வைக்கு!! pic.twitter.com/XS7D6lJxNt
— Poongodi Suganth (Modi Ka Parivar) (@PoongodiSugandh) January 8, 2025
Supporters of the closed Sterlite Copper plant met Thoothukudi Collector K Elambahavath in July 2025 urging him to recommend reopening the facility, after experts proposed copper production using eco-friendly technologies. The proposal, prepared by former ICT Vice-Chancellor Ganapati D. Yadav and retired Anna University professor R. Nagendran, recommends producing 70% copper from concentrate and 30% from recycled copper to reduce slag and emissions. It avoids production of phosphoric acid in the process, and sourcing water from desalination and Sewage Treatment Plant (STP).
Members from various associations, including the Thoothukudi Livelihood Protection Federation, Industrial Suppliers Association, and the local traders, fishermen, and villagers, supported a hybrid production model. Supporter Ganesan said the hybrid model is sustainable and would boost Thoothukudi’s economy.
The Chemical Industry Association (CIA) and the Tamil Nadu Contractors Association (TCA) have demanded the reopening of the Sterlite Copper plant to restore the supply of sulphuric acid and provide economic relief to their members and the broader economy. R.H. Gopalakrishnan, director of Sri Annam Chemicals, told media that the closure of Sterlite’s plant in Thoothukudi has led to significant price increases in sulphuric acid and has severely affected numerous businesses and contractors that rely on the plant’s operations. He said Sterlite catered to 25 to 30 percent of the country’s total copper need besides raw material for fertiliser production. There were ancillary industries in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry numbering over 1,000 in the MSME sector giving employment to over one lakh people.
Some questioned the disease that had not affected the employees—how would it come to the public? It was some vested interests’ false propaganda.
On 6 January 2024, members of the Namakkal Lorry Owners’ and Trailer Owners’ Associations staged protests, claiming the shutdown paralysed the logistics sector in the region. Over 6,500 trucks were impacted, and more than 600 vehicle owners had to seek alternative sources of income. Daily revenue losses were estimated at around Rs 10 crore. Protesters proposed restarting the plant under strict environmental guidelines to balance development and sustainability.
In February 2025, the Thoothukudi Contractors’ Association joined the demand, highlighting job losses for 20,000 workers and severe financial strain on 400 SMEs, with income levels dropping by 40%. They have called for a Government Order to restart operations.
On 13 May 2025, representatives from the Thoothukudi People Livelihood Protection Association met with MP Kanimozhi, urging her to support efforts to revive the copper plant. Their appeal noted that the facility had supported 20,000+ families across 50 villages for over two decades. Around 64 contractors had invested in trucks and machinery solely to serve Sterlite’s logistics operations. When the plant was shut, many were left facing crippling debts, having mortgaged personal property to finance their businesses.
Association president S. Thiyagarajan criticised the misleading narrative that labelled Thoothukudi as the “cancer capital” due to the plant’s presence. He pointed to multiple independent environmental assessments that found no such link, yet the perception persisted, fuelling protests and ultimately the closure.
Desai & Diwanji, an Indian law firm, has published commentary on the Sterlite Copper case’s legal and environmental dimensions, as seen in a June 2025 piece by Senior Partner Shreevardhan Sinha exploring whether there is room for reconsidering the Sterlite plant’s controversial closure. The firm also advised on the Sterlite Group’s merger of Sesa Goa and Sterlite Industries in 2012. An article written by senior partner of Desai and Diwanji, Shreevardhan Sinha, says “the expert panel can be seen as a path to redeem the livelihood of the locals and economic development. Sterlite’s production was around 36 percent. Now attention has been diverted to set up a plant with an annual installed capacity of over 4 lakh tonnes copper.”
Without turning their concern, DMK government has inaugurated VinFast’s first EV plant in India at Thoothukudi at an estimated cost of ₹16,000 crore. CM Stalin said “it would give jobs to hundreds of local youths under the Naan Mudalvan initiative. The investments would drive growth and development not only in Thoothukudi but also in other southern districts.”
