Chennai, 17 March, 2007: The Madras High Court today while hearing a Writ Petition filed by S. Elumalai and V. Palanivelu challenging the consent to establish granted to the Chemplast Sanmar by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, declined to stay the consent order but made it very clear that the fate of the construction carried on by Chemplast Sanmar will be subject to the outcome of the current writ petition.
V. Palanivelu, leader of of Sangolikuppam fishermen and S. Elumalai, a resident of Semmankuppam village, had taken the company, the TNPCB and the Ministry of Environment and Forests to court over allegedly setting up the PVC factory without proper clearances as mandated by the law. In 2005 the company had obtained clearances from the MoEF after making significant changes in the original proposal of 2002 but without a new public hearing as mandated by the EIA Notification. Though the decision of granting the consent to establish was pending with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Chemplast was given the consent in September 2006.