Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu) : The copper smelter unit of Sterlite Industries in Tuticorin, which was shut down over two months ago, has resumed operations after the National Green Tribunal's (NGT's) expert panel gave a green signal, officials said on Monday. The panel members conducted its second phase of inspection on Sunday and checked if the pollution monitoring equipment at the unit was working properly. Later they gave the green signal for the operation of the plant and its oxygen unit was started at around 6 PM. The complete functioning of the plant is expected to commence in a few days, when production would start, officials said. The team, comprising IIT professors Prakash Sai and Liji Philip, member secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board JS Kamyotra and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) member secretary S Balaji, would conduct one more phase of inspection and a report would be submitted to the NGT and the Supreme Court, they said. Officials said the team inspected the plant ahead of the production and it is expected to stay during the unit's running to see if there is any environmental impact. The TNPCB on May 29 ordered the closure of the plant on complaints that it was emitting toxic sulphur dioxide. The NGT then set aside the TNPCB order and allowed Sterlite to resume operation of its copper smelting unit. It also ordered the constitution of the four-member expert panel to supervise the plant's operations. The TNPCB then moved the SC seeking the quashing of the green panel's order but the apex court refused to stay the NGT's order allowing Sterlite to resume operations at the smelter under the expert committee's supervision.