SC adjourns plea over Chennai-Salem expressway

A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, hearing a petition seeking to stall the controversial Chennai-Salem multi-crore eight-lane expressway greenfield road project in Tamil Nadu has adjourned the matter to next week. The petitioner contended that the project will ruin many agricultural lands and livelihoods of farmers from several districts of the state where the project was designated for implementation.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned a petition seeking to stall the controversial Chennai-Salem multi-crore eight-lane expressway greenfield road project in Tamil Nadu.

The Madras High Court has passed orders to stop land acquisition works related to this project in 2018. Therefore the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had approached the SC to pass directions to set aside the MHC order. Therefore, the SC had issued notice to various respondents.

Former Union Health Minister and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK- a party representing majority OBC Vanniyars in Tamil Nadu) Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss, one of the petitioners had filed also filed his counter against the proposes eight-lane road project between Chennai and Salem.

The petitioner contended that the project will be carried out for 274 km.

"It will ruin many agricultural lands and livelihoods of farmers from several districts of TN where the project was designated for implementation," the petitioner submitted.

However, the NHAI argued that the project is an essential infrastructure to boost growth.

A three-judge SC bench led by Justice Arun Mishra has adjourned the matter to next week.