HC restrains Chennai Metro from acquiring school land

Justice V Bharathidasan before whom the plea moved by the school came up seeking to quash the notice dated June 13, 2018 issued by the Land Acquisition Officer (LAO), which sought to acquire the said land for constructing Corridor-3-17 Sterling Road Junction Metro Station, granted the interim injunction.

However, the judge without going into the merits and demerits of the case, directed the Land Acquisition Officer (LAO) to give a personal hearing to the petitioner on October 1, wherein the petitioner can raise all his objections with supporting materials, if any. 

“The LAO is further directed to consider the objections of the petitioner and thereafter pass appropriate orders on the same before issuing a notification under section 3 (1) of the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act,” the judge added.

Senior Counsel Zavier Arulraj appearing for the school submitted that the said land acquisition proceedings meant that almost three-fourth of the playground would be lost resulting in the betterment of physical and mental health of the students being rendered meaningless. 

He further submitted that the authorities can re-consider the issue and seek for some alternative site in the opposite direction or can restrict the acquisition to a lesser extent leaving enough space for the playground.