The Madras High Court has given an interim order directing the plant of Sterlite Industries in Tuticorin, Chennai, to close down. Allegations of environmental hazards posed by the plant, reports of gas leaks and deaths have dogged the copper smelter plant since its inception in 1997. The court orders were based on a report published by National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur. Environmental groups have continuously been protesting against setting up of the plant since 1995. They argue that the plant has been contaminating groundwater, leaving it unpotable.