The Madras High Court on Monday quashed the land acquisition proceedings initiated by the Centre and Tamil Nadu Government for the Rs 10,000 crore Chennai –Salem eight lane Greenfield expressway project.
The Division Bench of Justices T S Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbaroyan asked the concerned agencies to stop all work of the proposed 277 km stretch of the state-of-the-art highway which was to be built through agricultural lands and reserve forest.
The judges were of the view that the project report submitted by the consultant was not satisfactory. They also accepted the argument by activists and local residents that environmental clearance was mandatory since the project would have an adverse impact on the environment, including waterbodies.
Anbumani Ramadoss, the PMK leader and Lok Sabha candidate from Dharmapuri was one of the petitioners who had challenged the project in the Madras High Court. The PMK led by Ramadoss is one of the constituents of the AIADMK-led mega alliance contesting the April 18 election. Barring the AIADMK nd the BJP, most of the political outfits in the State are against the dream project. The DMK has declared that it would quash the project if returned to power.
Rohini Bhajibhakare, Salem district collector had told that only a minuscule percentage of farmers was opposing the project that has otherwise elicited overwhelming support. “About 90 per cent of patta (title) holders extended full support for th land survey. Only ten per cent had approached the higher authorities for enhanced compensation,” Bhajibhakare had told the media in June 2018.
The court order is seen as a set back to the proposed Defence Hub to be sety up on Salem as well as the many industrial ancillary units coming up along the Salem-Chennai stretch, pointed out entrepreneurs.