The Madras High Court on Monday gave the green signal for implementation of GAIL India Ltd.’s natural gas pipeline project which is to pass through seven districts in the State.

As per the Land Acquisition Act, the government approval is necessary when the award sum exceeds a certain limit, the Madras High Court has said.

In his order on a writ petition, Justice V. Dhanapalan said the very object of Section 11(1) of the Act was to get approval from the appropriate government or the officer authorised for that purpose to accord approval, wherein the limit had been fixed. As per a G.O. when the compensation exceeded Rs.10 lakh, the authority should get government approval. It could not be construed that as there was government approval for the earlier notification and declaration, that per se was sufficient for passing the award.

The Madras High Court on Friday gave the green signal for the commissioning of the units one and two of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in Tirunelveli district. However, it made it clear that the regulatory authorities should periodically oversee the compliance and maintenance of standards of pollution.

“By taking note of the overall situation, we are of the view that the KKNPP in respect of units 1 and 2 do not suffer from any infirmities either for want of any clearance from any of the authorities, including the MoEF, AERB, TNPCB and the Department of Atomic Energy, and there is absolutely no impediment for the NPCIL to proceed with the project,”

The Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld a rule in Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules making it mandatory for dealers in river sand to obtain a licence for setting up stockyard. The rule also makes it compulsory for the stockists to obtain the sale slip from the local Deputy Tahsildar.

Dismissing a batch of over 500 writ petitions challenging the newly introduced rule, filed at the principal seat here and the Madurai Bench, the First Bench of Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam said that Rule 38-C was fully in conformity with the Mines and Minerals

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has ordered the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and the Director of Medical and Rural Health Services, Chennai, to enquire into and send a report about the alleged dumping of bio waste on the main road at Tiruvallur.

In his order on a complaint, SHRC Acting Chairperson K. Baskaran stated that the report should be filed within four weeks. The complainant, K. Sudhan, an advocate, stated that while he was on his way to Tiruttani he noticed the bio waste dumped by the Government Hospital, Tiruvallur, piled up near the hospital entrance.

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday said the Tamil Nadu government is fully empowered to notify the