MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday passed an interim order restraining a private solar power company from commencing production at its proposed solar cell and module manufacturing unit, which is under construction at Gangaikondan village in Tirunelveli district.
A Bench of Justices M Sundar and R Sakthivel passed the interim order on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by one SP Muthuraman, of Tirunelveli, seeking to quash the 'consent to establish' granted by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to the unit, in 2022 and 2023.
Muthuraman alleged that the company had failed to obtain prior environmental clearance, a requirement under Schedule 8 of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. Nevertheless, the TNPCB has granted its consent, he added. Stating that the construction of the unit is nearing completion and it may be inaugurated soon, Muthuraman sought the court's intervention.
Though Muthuraman requested an interim injunction to restrain the company from proceeding with construction, the judges allowed construction works, but said the company should not commence production till the court takes a decision in the matter. They have issued notice to the authorities concerned and adjourned the case to November 24.
According to the petition, the firm proposes to manufacture about 54 crore solar PV cells and 67.5 lakh solar modules annually. The unit is being constructed in SIPCOT Industrial Estate in Gangaikondan. It may be noted that two PILs, filed by the litigant against the establishment of the said SIPCOT estate, have been pending before the court since 2022.