NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MAY 19
Vedanta Ltd owned Sterlite Copper resumed production of medical oxygen at its unit in Tamil Nadu, days after it faced a technical snag, leading to a halt in operation, the company said on Wednesday.
“We are glad to share that the disruption in the oxygen plant has been rectified and have now restarted production,” the company said in an update.
“The oxygen generated is being stored at our on-site facilities and will be distributed as per the directions of the state government and concerned nodal officers.” The company had roped in experts from the Indian Space Research Organisation to rectify the glitch. Last week, the ISRO team had arrived and suggested some measures to fix the snag and resume oxygen production.
The facility at Thoothukudi district began producing medical oxygen, on May 13, to meet the demand for the life- saving gas following a surge in COVID cases in the state. The first set of oxygen tankers have been dispatched to the beneficiaries.
The Sterlite copper smelter plant was accorded approval by the then AIADMK government on April 26 at an all-party meeting to produce medical oxygen at its facility for a period of four months at the facility in Thoothukudi.The plant was sealed by the state government in May 2018, days after 13 agitators who were part of a protest against the company over environmental concerns, were killed in police firing during a violent anti-Sterlite stir in the southern district.
