CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has restrained the TANGEDCO from the commissioning line along with high-tension towers near Aditya Vidhyashram school, Chennai till it meets out horizontal clearance.
Aditya Vidhyashram, a private school moved to the Madras High Court (MHC) seeking to restrain TANGEDCO from erecting towers taking high-tension wires as the line goes adjacent to the school building.
The branches of the trees in the school grow big enough to go beyond the compound wall of the school and come into contact with any existing high-tension tower, not just the branches of the trees may have to be chipped, but the whole trees must be uprooted, why should the school lose its trees, which it has planted to support the environment, observed Justice N Seshasayee while allowing the petition.
The high tension towers have been erected not in conformity with the sanction order of the superintendent engineer, Transmission Line Construction as regards the horizontal distance from the trees, wrote the judge.
Hence, the judge restrained TANGEDCO from commissioning the line along high-tension towers at proposed points till the towers are shifted to a place where it leaves a horizontal clearance of 12.20 meters from the trees of the school.
Velammal Hospitals bought a piece of land next to the Aditya Vidhyashram, Thiruverkadu, Chennai, from Sameera Estates.
However, they represented TANGEDCO to move the high-tension tower in the middle of the land to another point which is near the compound wall of the school.
Aggrieved by this the school moved the MHC to restrain the erection of a high-tension tower near the school.
Senior advocate V Raghavachari appeared for the school contended that the sanction order given by the superintendent engineer, Transmission Line Construction stipulates that the distance between the high tension tower and the trees in the school must be a horizontal clearance of 12.20 meters, whereas it now varies between 7.95 meters to 8.37 meters. The erection of the high tension tower is a violation of regulation 61 of the central electricity authority (measures relating to safety and electric supply), contended the counsel. The proposed high-tension lines are so proximate to the school building, that in case of any mishap happening, the life of the children studying in the school will be in peril, said the counsel.
Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan appeared for Velammal hospitals contended that the proposed high-tension tower is to be at least four times the distance than what the statute has prescribed