HC restrains Centre, TN from dispossessing owners of land for highway project

The Madras High Court today restrained the Centre and Tamil Nadu government from dispossessing people of their lands to be acquired for the proposed eight-lane highway project between Salem and Chennai till further orders.

A division bench comprising Justices T S Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbaroyan passed the interim order on a batch of petitions opposing the Rs 10,000 crore greenfield project and posted them to September 11 for further hearing.

"The respondents are directed not to dispossess the respective land owners from the land in question, which they propose to acquire until further orders in these writ petitions," the order stated.

The bench, which went through pamphlets issued by the Kancheepuram District Collector in support of the project, noted that while various benefits of the highway had been highlighted, there was "absolutely no whisper about" the assurance given to land-owners that they will not be forcibly dispossessed of their lands.

The project, which aims to halve the travel time between the two cities, is facing opposition from some quarters, including a section of farmers whose lands are proposed to be acquired.

The court said, "We deem it appropriate that we clarify the aspect which has been placed before us by the learned Advocate General so that it will allay all the fears of the land owners and the challenge to the land acquisition proceedings in whatever manner done could be heard and decided on merits and in accordance with law."