Tamil Nadu to request SC to revisit GAIL project nod

Oil & gas major plans to lay a 310-km gas pipeline through seven districts

Tamil Nadu government has decided to file a review petition before the Supreme Court against its order allowing Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) to go ahead with its natural gas pipeline project through seven districts in the state.

A high-level committee meeting headed by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has discussed various points to be raised in the review petition, according to a state announcement.

Senior ministers including O Panneerselvam, Natham R Viswanathan, R Vaithilingam and many higher officials attended the meeting.

It may be noted the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, had given a green signal to GAIL to continue the project of laying natural gas pipeline cutting across seven districts in the state.

Following protests from farmers in these districts, Tamil Nadu government had earlier ordered GAIL to stop the project and look at realigning it along the National Highway, which was unacceptable to the company. The state has been arguing the pipelines affect the livelihood of about 5,500 small farmers.

The bench observed Tamil Nadu has no technical expertise or legal authority to ask GAIL to change its pipeline route, according to reports. Industry sources said GAIL already lost about Rs 300 crore and project cost could now go up to another Rs 1,000 crore.

Following the favourable order, GAIL is expected to kickstart the project in six months and to complete in 36 months, according to sources. The 925-km Kochi-Kottanad-Bangalore-Mangalore pipeline passes through Kerala (505 kms), Tamil Nadu (310 kms) and Karnataka (60 kms). The pipeline has already been laid along 200 km at a cost of Rs 685 crore.

The project was originally started in 2012, of the total project only 50 km has been completed in Ernakulam (Kerala). Not only in Tamil Nadu, farmers have been protesting in Kerala also fearing they will loose their livelihood. They also want the government to withdraw the PMP Act.