HC cancels land acquisition for power plants in Chhattisgarh

Giving its ruling on eight separate petitions filed against the land acquisition process, a bench here also imposed a cost of Rs 5,000 each petition on the state administration.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Prashant Mishra did not find it appropriate for the government to acquire agriculture land for the plants in the name of public interest, advocate Sanjay Kumar said.

The land was being acquired for Wardha and Moser Baer's power plants in Janjgir district and those of Visa and SKS companies in Raigarh district.

The government had initiated the process to acquire land for 3,200 MW plant of Wardha Power (in village Latia), Moser Baer's 1320 MW (in villages Sheela Devi and Bira), Visa's 1,200 MW (Dumarpali) and SKS Power's facility in Dheerkoat village, Kumar said.

Around 50 farmers from these villages had filed eight separate petitions in the high court here opposing the government's move.

They argued that the process was against the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act and agriculture land was far more important for them than power plants.