Farmers’ plea against installation of high-tension wires dismissed

When a plea moved by 11 farmers came up before him, Justice G Jayachandran said, “After enjoying all comforts of electricity in their homes and business establishments, making fake protest for public consumption and mislead the public to stall the project, which by and large is going to provide uninterpreted electricity supply, is only an attempt by some vested interest through the petitioners to keep the State in dark and perennial starvation for electricity. This court cannot be privy to the evil design.”

Justice Jayachandran also held that if really there was any damage that are peculiar to the petitioners and others, they had the right to make their representation to the collector to increase the height of the tower to avoid passing of electrostatic field near or under their house.

“At about 345 km of transmission lines are likely to pass through the Tamil Nadu under this project. It is not that at all points, the effect of the electrostatic field is felt. If at all at any point, the flow of electrostatic field is felt, it is always open to them to represent the authorities,”the judge said.

The court also slammed the repeated filing of petitions despite clear pronouncements by the court on various occasions on this project based on misinformation spread among the people through sensational and irresponsible news. “Those persons are bound to introspect themselves whether they are truly espousing the cause of public,” thejudge added.

The plea moved by the farmers claimed that the project was likely to cause severe harm to them and their land due to electrostatics field that would develop when extreme high voltage current passes through the overhead high-tension transmission lines. But the notices published by the Power Grid Corporation of India do not provide the details of the route through which the lines were likely to go, which they contended was contrary to the principles of natural Justice.

However, the Corporation submitted that the project does not involve in any land acquisition but only to exercise the Right of Use as provided under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, according to which the land owners would be compensated for the area occupied by the legs of the transmission tower.