New Delhi: Centre has filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court on Thursday for urgent hearing of petitions against the Madras High Court's order of 8th April, 2019 which had quashed entire land acquisition proceedings for the Rs 10,000 crores Chennai Salem Project which forms the part of Bharatmala Praiyojna and other projects of construction of National Highway.
Earlier, when the matter had reached Supreme Court, the court had asked the parties to submit their compliation and had listed the matter for hearing on 28th January 2020 but due to other engagements and then lockdown, the plea could not be taken up.
Centre, through its IA claimed that the project, which is "wholly detrimental in public interest", has been stalled and the HC's order has resulted in major setback in all other projects of construction of National Highways.
"It is submitted that the Bharatmala Paryojna was a part of the optimization exercise, for which relatively straighter Green Field alignments were identified by MoRTH for connecting important economic centers. In the present SLP, the proposed project from Chennai to Salem Corridor of 277.300 km was one such Green Field Corridor identified in the State of Tamil Nadu which primarily aimed at eliminating the bottlenecks exiating along the present corridors, and reducing the travel time between the two economic centers," read the application.
Further it said that the procedures specified by the Environment Ministry was followed for the project and the HC failed to realise that the PILs filed against the project were filed on "imaginary apprehensions, bald assertions and false assumptions".
"It was wholly unwarranted for the High Court to have quashed the acquisition proceedings which was a well thought policy decision, without disclosing the reasons for quashing of the 3A notifications, which forms the basis fir filing the present SLPs," read the application.
Centre said that if the matter is not heard expiditiously, it will lead to multiplicity if litigation and open gates for judicial review in all such matters involving policy decisions which will be a major setback for the Bharatmala Projects also impacting the economy adversely.
Centre has sought the urgent listing of the matter for final arguments.
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