The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Court seeks details of land acquisition for airport projects

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Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Court seeks details of land acquisition for airport projects

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has called for land acquisition details for the proposed expansion of the Chennai airport and the greenfield airport scheme.

Justice A. Kulasekaran gave the direction to the State Government on a writ petition filed by E.V.P. Housing Chennai Private Limited, which sought to quash a Government Order, dated July 9, freezing all construction activities in the notified areas. He adjourned the matter by a week. The impugned GO, passed by the Transport Department, cancelled an earlier sanction for acquisition of 583 hectares for restructuring and modernising the Chennai airport. Instead, it sought to acquire 1,069.99 acres at Manappakkam, Kolapakkam, Gerugambakkam and Tharappakkam in Sriperumpudur taluk of Kancheepuram district for expansion of the existing airport.

The GO also proposed to acquire another 4,820.66 acres for setting up a greenfield airport in Sriperumpudur and Thiruvallur taluks near Chennai.

The petitioner said he had purchased the land at a huge cost and invested significantly in developing the residential plots. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authorities accorded approval even as late as May 2006. However, due to the lack of coordination among different government agencies, an acquisition proposal and a consequent order freezing all construction in the areas had been issued.

Purchasers of housing plots were facing a piquant situation as they could not continue construction of their buildings as banks had stopped releasing funds. But, they had to continue repayment of the loan sum already received, the petitioner-company said.

The petitioner wanted the court to quash the order.

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