Sterlite feels heat of popular protest amid plans to sell Thoothukudi plant

The decision to sell its Thoothukudi copper plant is unlikely to end the controversy surrounding it

Opinion in the coastal city of Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin), around 600 km from Chennai, has been split. There are those who want Sterlite Copper to reopen its smelting and refining unit and others who demand complete closure.

But on June 20, both supporters and critics were taken aback when Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta decided to sell the unit and invited expression of interest (EoI) from prospective bidders. In fact, sources indicate that even the top leadership of the group found out about this decision through a newspaper advertisement. The company has engaged Axis Capital, a company source said, to