Post-Sterlite Shutdown, India Grapples With Copper Crunch and Rising Metal Thefts

Copper is a high-utility commodity. Its use cuts across activities. To be sure, copper finds application in an array of functionalities in a household — be it a traditional one or a modern house. India held a pride of place in the international sphere in terms of copper production. So much so, India was a net exporter of copper. That was a few years ago. Things have got tipsy-turvy now. Ever since the closure of the Sterlite’s copper plant at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, the domestic supply shortage has increased. That the closure of the Sterlite plant was more due to politics than economics was, however, a different matter. The fact is that the country is experiencing a huge copper shortage. The unfolding geo-politics has added a new dimension to the copper story. The supply restrictions by China have only compounded the problem. So much so, copper theft has risen these days. There are reports of copper wire being stolen from AC compressors in residential terraces. This does not augur well. Who is to be blamed? The blame game won’t address the issue. A practical outlook to issues is what we need. Not the game of one-upmanship, to be sure.