GAIL pipeline: TN farmers to move Supreme Court

Farmers opposed to GAIL’s plan to lay a gas pipeline through about 300 km of farm lands in western Tamil Nadu plan to go on appeal to the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Madras High Court, which gave its nod to the project.

The farmers said no compromise with GAIL is possible since it is ‘adamant’ on its stand to lay the pipeline through agricultural lands, putting the livelihood of farmers at stake.

Speaking to

Business Line on telephone, P. Kandasamy, General Secretary, Farmers’ Association (Non-political), Coimbatore, said the farmers are neither opposed to the GAIL pipeline project nor to the industrial development of the region. They want GAIL to lay the pipeline along highways — only where this is not feasible may it lay the pipeline through patta lands.

Kandasamy further said farmers are agreeable to an independent survey being done to identify suitable alignment for the project. But GAIL is not agreeable to this suggestion, he pointed out.

The farmers’ body expects to get a certified copy of the judgement of the High Court, delivered on Monday by the First Bench comprising Chief Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice M. Sathyanarayanan, giving clearance to the gas pipeline project.

interim stay

After studying the order, it would file an appeal in the Supreme Court and seek an interim stay against it.

Kandasamysaid all the political parties in the State have voiced their support for the farmers. In fact, the State Government had asked GAIL to lay the pipeline along the National Highways and compensate the farmers for the losses suffered by them, against which GAIL had gone to the High Court.