Govt creates confusion in SC, Meta Strips production begins

Sandesh Prabhudesai
10 May 2000  

The controversial Meta Strips issue has suddenly taken a strange turn with the Goa government's counsel in the Supreme Court initially agreeing to lift the closure of the copper processing plant and the advocate general later rushing to Delhi to get the position reversed.

In the meanwhile, without waiting for any written order from the state government, the Meta Strips has begun production from today morning. Following violent agitation by the villagers of South Goa last month, the government had closed the factory on 8 April, while appointing an experts committee to probe its pollution angle.

"We have opened it based on the assurance given by the government counsel in the Supreme Court to open the factory. Secondly, the chief minister has also permitted, though verbally, to unlock the factory gates and begin production", states Dwaraka Rao, the public relations officer of Meta Strips.

Though chief minister Francisco Sardinha was not available for confirmation in this regard, he had earlier expressed shock over his counsel's submission to the court stating that it was wholly unauthorised and contrary to the interest of the state government.

Accordingly, the state advocate general Atmaram Nadkarni today morning rushed to Delhi to seek special leave of the court to file a plea for review, stating that the government would decide about lifting the closure based on findings of the experts committee.

Adv Bhavanishankar Gadnis, the Goa government's counsel in the supreme court, yesterday agreed before the court to open the factory when the division bench of Justice V B Khare and Justice Santosh Hegde pulled him up stating that the government cannot close down the factory on the grounds of maintaining law and order in the state.

The closure order issued by the government had stated that the construction and production work at Meta Strips would be stopped forthwith until further orders, in larger public interest. The government had also dismissed contention of the Meta Strips that the closure is illegal.

Though the company has submitted before the court that they have sought environmental clearances from all the concerned authorities, the state government had succeeded in diffusing the violent situation prevailing here by closing the factory for a while and appointing the experts committee to study the pollution issue once again.

The Anti Meta Strips Citizens Action Committee, spearheading the agitation, has already warned to intensify the year-long agitation in case the closure is lifted and work begins at the factory before the expert committee report comes out. The committee has been appointed formally the last week.

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