CHENNAI: In a major relief to those protesting against acquisition of their lands for the Chennai-Salem Green Corridor, a Madras High Court division bench on Tuesday restrained the State government from acquiring land for the project. As the project is still under 3A(1) stage of the Land Acquisition Act and there is no imminent threat of dispossession of the owners’ lands, the bench passed the order.
“Considering the fact and the sensitivity of the matter and the category of persons from whom the lands are proposed to be acquired, we deem it appropriate that we clarify the aspect which has been placed before us by the Advocate General so that it will allay all the fears of landowners and the challenge to the land acquisition proceedings in whatever manner done could be heard and decided on merits and in accordance with law,” the bench of Justices T S Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbaroyan said. “In the light of the above, the respondents are directed not to dispossess the respective landowners from the land in question, which they propose to acquire until further orders in these writ petitions,” the bench said.
The bench, however, delinked a PIL which sought to declare the provision of the Act as unconstitutional. The bench noted the pamphlets, which have been printed and stated to have been circulated in and around Kanchipuram district. The matter which has been stated therein largely speaks about the project which is to be implemented, the proposal to plant 10 trees for every tree to be removed, assuring the public that on account of the formation of the road mineral deposits in the district will not be affected, the interest of pedestrians will be safeguarded by providing adequate barricades, the compensation that would be paid and that it is a very special scheme that will benefit people.