Sterlite Copper smelter plant will be closed: Panneerselvam
Thoothukudi, May 28: Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Monday said here that the government will take necessary steps to permanently shut down the copper smelter plant of Vedanta Ltd, popularly known as Sterlite Copper.
Pannerselvam visited the hospital here and enquired about the health of those injured in the police firing on anti-Sterlite Copper protestors on May 22, in which 13 persons died.
The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking to reporters here and he also added that compensation to the injured were being paid.
Normalcy was slowly returning here with shops and other establishments opening their doors for customers.
Internet connectivity has also resumed since Sunday midnight after it was suspended on May 23.
"Shops are open now. Normalcy is returning. But till the copper smelter plant is permanently closed there will not be total peace in the city," S. Raja of Thoothukudi Traders Association told IANS.
Raja also said murder charge should be registered against the police officials who shot the protestors.
According to Raja, post mortem has been done on seven bodies out of the 13 who were killed in the police firing. However, the relatives have not claimed the bodies yet.
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Defeated delimitation bill in Parliament to defend idea of India: Cong leader Rahul Gandhi
Chennai (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the opposition parties defeated the delimitation bill in the Parliament on Friday to defend the "idea of India."
Addressing a poll rally at Ponneri here, he said the BJP-led government at the Centre brought a new bill on April 16, and said they were trying to pass the women's bill, which he said was passed in 2023.
"In the so-called Women's Bill, delimitation was hidden. The idea was to reduce Tamil Nadu's representation in the Union of India... the delimitation move by BJP was to weaken the strength of southern states, small states, north eastern states," he alleged.
"We defeated in Parliament, a bill in which delimitation was hidden; we defeated it to defend the idea of India."
Rahul added that India that is Bharat, is a union of states, and every single state should have a voice, be free to express itself, and protect its tradition.
