HC notice to Essar Oil over PIL alleging illegal construction

The Gujarat High Court today issued notice to Essar Oil Ltd (EOL) over a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that the company was illegally constructing a residential colony for its staff in Vadinar block of Jamnagar district. The Compay's oil refinery is also located in the same block.

The PIL further alleged that the construction activity was on without obtaining requisite permission from the district authorities. A division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala has issued notice to EOL and asked it to file its reply to the allegations made in the PIL.

It has also asked the state government and the Jamnagar district collector to explain the legal position of the residential complex being built by the company. It, however, declined to stay the construction activity of the company as demanded in the PIL. The matter is posted for further hearing after two weeks.

The PIL was filed by one Shamji Chavda, a resident of Bharana village near the under construction residential complex. The PIL was filed through his lawyer Vijay Nangesh. Explaining the objection to the construction, Nangesh said that land of law should be same for all.

He claimed that the construction by the company was without permission from the Vadinar Area Development Authority, the state government agency authorised to issue permission for construction in the Vadinar area.

Nangesh said that they have filed the PIL demanding that the construction should be stopped and action should be taken against the company authorities. According to him the law was same for all, then why should the district authorities make an exception to the company and let them do construction, while the project was still under consideration and permission has not been granted.