GAIL INDIA LTD Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioner is the Gas Authority of India Limited, represented by its Senior Manager (Law). In this writ petition, they have sought for a direction to the respondents to provide adequate police protection for the officials, labourers, machinery and the pipelines installed by the petitioner corporation in the lands which is the subject matter of the acquisition vide notification of the Central Government, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in notification Nos.S.O.No.865(E), dated 20.04.2012, S.O.No.1201(E), dated 25.5.2012, S.O.No.392(E), dated 07.03.2012, S.O.No.12(E), dated 04.01.2012, S.O.No.2865(E), dated 27.12.2011 and S.O.No.2832(E), dated 19.12.2011 issued under Section 6 of the Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Rights of Users in Land) Act, 1962 for the purpose of locating Cochi-Koottanad-Mangalore-Bangaluru Pipeline Project through Districts of Salem, Coimbatore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Namakkal, Erode and Tiruppur in the State of Tamil Nadu.

(2.) IN this writ petition, the first respondent is the State of Tamil Nadu, respondents 2 to 8 are the Superintendents of Police of the respective Districts referred to above and 9th respondent is the Inspector of Police, Rayakottai Police Station, Krishnagiri District.

(3.) IT is in this background, in order to meet the acute fuel crises in the Southern States of India, the "Kochi-Kuttandu-Mangalore-Bangaluru Pipeline Project" was conceived and it passes through the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Government of India was planning to invest more than Rs.5000 crores in that project and it has been executed by the petitioner corporation. If this project is completed, the natural gas will be supplied and distributed to the household sectors, commercial sectors and transport sector by laying pipeline in the underground. The said project is intended to be networked through the States of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu covering a total distance of more than 600 Kms., through which underground pipelines will be laid for transmission of natural gas. The respective States have also formed a high power monitoring committee for the expeditious execution of the project as it would help the States which are suffering from grave power crisis. The petitioner company was accorded sanction by the Government of India to execute the project. In order to facilitate the same in the State of Tamil Nadu, the Central Government by a notification dated 04.04.2011 had notified the lands in the Districts of Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Namakkal, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Salem to be intended to be covered by the said project. Objections were received from the land owners and from the other interested persons. Proceedings were conducted after due notice.