Talk to land owners, solve GAIL project row

The Madras High Court has directed the State  government to convene  meetings, to be presided over by each of the Collectors of Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Namakkal, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Salem with the local farmers, to settle amicably the issue relating to laying of pipelines to carry gas and other petroleum products from Cochin to Karnataka via Tamil Nadu.

The first bench comprising Chief Justice MY Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam gave the direction on Thursday, while disposing of a writ appeal from GAIL, a public sector undertaking, which was assigned the `600- crore project of laying the pipelines. The bench said that in such meetings, besides the collectors, the officials of GAIL and the affected land owners should take part,hold discussion. The grievances expressed by the farmers/land owners and the GAIL could be placed without any reservations and thereafter, the TN government should take a decision to fecilitate the laying of the pipelines.

The land owners should bear in mind that the project was of national importance, the bench said. GAIL preferred the appeal against the orders of a single judge, who rejected its plea for a direction to the District Superintendents for police protection to its officials and equipment to lay the pipelines.