HC seeks reply from MPSEZ

Gujarat High Court today sought clarification from Adani group's Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone (MPSEZ) in response to a petition seeking stay to an allegedly illegal construction on "encroached" grazing land in Mundra tehsil of Kutch district.
A division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala asked MPSEZ to file affidavit in two weeks.
The petition filed by Pravinsinh Chauhan and five others, through advocate Hetvi Sancheti, alleged that MPSEZ encroached on more then 60 acres of their grazing ('gau-char') land and started construction of a residential colony there.
The administration has turned a blind eye, it claimed. The villagers had first approached the high court in 2010, against allotment of grazing land to MPSEZ.

Following a written assurance from Adani Foundation to carry out development works in the village under corporate social responsibility programme, the petition was disposed of.
"They have assured the court to carry out 16 different type of works in the village, which included setting up of a facility of fodder for cattle, establishment of drainage, arrangement of a doctor for village, construction of primary school, crematorium and providing employment," the petition claimed.
"To date, they have not kept their promise. Hence we demand immediate stay to the construction work and denotification of grazing land and removal of encroachments," the petition alleged.