IOC gas pipeline: Order on land acquisition stayed

The interim stay was issued by a Division Bench of Justices J. Nisha Banu and M Dhandapani after hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by K Selvam.

Selvam in his petition claimed that several acres of cultivable lands had already been acquired for industrialisation under a SIPCOT project, laying of railway track and for a private windmill. Though around 1,500 acres of cultivable lands were acquired by the SIPCOT, the entire parcel of land remains unused so far.

Meanwhile, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) authorities on May 6 approached farmers at Therkku Veerapandiapuram in Thoothukudi and initiated the process of acquiring their lands by striking a deal promising them adequate compensation. It was learnt that the lands acquired were meant for laying of pipelines underground to supply gas to industries such as Sterlite in Thoothukudi. The project was estimated to be established at a cost of Rs 700 crore from Ramanathapuram toThoothukudi. But it is said that the approval of the Petroleum and Natural Gas RegulatoryBoard has not been obtainedfor the proposed gas pipelineproject.

The project was designed to lay pipes through a stretch of 10 km cutting through a bird sanctuary and other ecologically sensitive zones. The planners also have not got the environmental clearance too for the project. Hence, the petitioner sought the bench to cancel order notified by Central government on October 5 in 2018 and February 19 in 2019 for the land acquisition for this project.

After hearing the petition, the bench stayed the central government’s notification and directed to issue notices to Union Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, Environment and Forest and adjourned the case.