Polluting plant hasn't resumed, officials say

KUNMING - Officials denied on Friday that a plant that had been ordered to close after killing dozens of farm animals with pollution has resumed operations. The statement came in response to suspicions that the operation had reopened in late September.

The plant, now processing the waste, has suspended its production since August, as instructed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said Quan Ende, deputy head of the publicity department in Qujing city of Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Quan said the company started detoxifying hazardous chromium residue in late September and will begin operations in a second waste processing facility in the first half of 2012.