CHENNAI:The acquisition of land for the massive Rs 10,000-crore Chennai-Salem green corridor project was being done in accordance with law and it could not commence without obtaining approval from the Union Environment Ministry, the Ministry told a division bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday.
“Presently the authorities are doing survey work alone, which is essential for obtaining the environmental clearance. Petitions against the project cannot be entertained on the assumption that the government will flout rules,” G Rajagopalan, Additional Solicitor General, told the bench of Justices T S Sivagnanam and Bhavani Subbaroyan.
According to one of the petitioners, Poovulagin Nanbargal, the present alignment of the project passes through 80 per cent of agricultural land and 10 per cent of the reserved forest. This apart, as per the Land Acquisition Act, the authorities should have conducted public hearings in the five districts concerned. But, no such meetings took place. Flouting this rule would amount to violation of the Supreme Court directive, Nanbargal said.
Another petitioner, Anbumani Ramadass of the PMK, claimed that the project was still-born with no right to survive. The authorities had failed to understand the impact of drilling tunnel at three places for forming the road for three km by boring the Jaruku Hills in Salem district, which has attracted huge protest from all sections of population.
Opposing the contentions, Advocate-General Vijay Narayan submitted that the project was only at the preliminary stage and that there was no basis for such apprehensions.Recording submissions, the bench posted hearing to August 3.