A British-owned copper smelting plant in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu that has been blamed for unnaturally high cancer rates in surrounding villages has closed, days after 13 people were killed by police during protests against the facility. Monday’s decision sparked celebrations in villages around the Sterlite copper plant, including in Kumarareddyapuram, where residents have complained for years of breathing and skin problems and cancer symptoms. The protests had grown in intensity in the past three months after Vedanta’s subsidiary, Sterlite Copper, applied for approval to double the capacity of the plant. She said the victory was a tribute to those who died last week fighting the expansion of the plant. “[The] closure of the Sterlite Copper plant is an unfortunate development, especially since we have operated the plant for over 22 years in [a] most transparent and sustainable way, contributing to the Tuticorin and the state’s socio-economic development,” a spokesman said.

Source: The Guardian May 28, 2018 16:45 UTC