The Madras High Court has ordered notice on a writ petition from a farmer in Palathurai village in Coimbatore challenging a March 26 order of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) rejecting the objections raised by him to acquire his land for laying gas pipe-line through his fields.
In his writ, R Mohanabalasubramaniam, owning 4.65 acres at Arisipalayam village in Coimbatore South taluk, submitted that the Petroleum Ministry had decided to lay Bangalore and Dhabol-Bangalore gas pipeline through Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The project was awarded to GAIL, a public sector company. The pipeline started from Peteronet LNG terminal in Kochi, Kerala, and ended at KPCL, Bidadi in Bangalore. In TN, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri were covered. The project was likely to be completed in three years starting from April, 2011, when the official notification was published.
Apprehending acquisition of his land, petitioner sent a representation in reply to which GAIL asked him to send his objections by a letter on February 3. Accordingly, petitioner and others sent representations raising objections. The GAIL conducted an enquiry on February 15. The land owners sought time to submit more details. However, GAIL, by the March 26 order, rejected their request and initiated steps to acquire the land. Hence, the present writ petition.