TUTICORIN, JULY 20: Sterlite Industries India Ltd (SIIL), whose copper smelter complex here remains shut down after a gas leak controversy, finds itself in a tight spot, as local opposition has made a smooth reopening unlikely even if the company is found innocent in the current row.

``It's true that we face stiff local opposition. Vested interests are taking advantage of this public hostility. We are trying our best to win the trust of the people,'' SIIL senior vice-president (commercial) Hemant Jalan said.Activists of the anti-Sterlite movement said they would intensify their stir, even if the independent committee, set up by the government, exonerated the company from the allegations.

``Even if the July fifth incident, which affected 90 girls of an adjoining unit, did not take place at Sterlite, such an accident may happen any time at the copper complex, as its systems and processes are totally unsafe,'' Dr Hussain, a zoologist spreaheading the movement.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.