HC backs farmer against GAIL
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The Madras high court has ordered notice to the Union government on a petition by a farmer, which challenged the order of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) rejecting objections raised by him about acquisition of his land for laying a gas pipeline through his fields in Coimbatore.
The Union petroleum ministry had decided to set up the Dhabol-Bangalore gas pipeline network through TN, Kerala and Karnataka. The project was awarded to GAIL, a public sector undertaking.
The pipeline would start at the Petronet LNG terminal in Kochi, Kerala and end at KPCL, Bidadi in Bangalore.
The seven districts of TN covered under this project were Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri. The project was likely to be completed in three years from April 2011, the date of publication of the official notification.
In his PIL, R. Mohanabalasubramaniam of Coimbatore submitted that he owns 4.65 acres in Arisipalayam village in Coimbatore.
Fearing that the authorities would acquire his land, he sent a representation and GAIL asked him to submit objections. He and others sent representations raising their objections and requested the authorities not to take over their land for the project.
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