Forest land to Essar: Guj HC wants decision in 4 weeks
4 May 2013 6:07 PM IST
Gujarat High Court on Friday directed the Central Government to decide within four weeks the issue of granting approval to the allocation of forest land to Essar Steel Ltd (ESL) near Hazira in Surat district.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala, while disposing of a PIL challenging the allocation of forest land measuring 2.07 lakh sq meters, also asked the Gujarat
Government to demolish the constructions made by the company at the site if the Centre decides not to grant approval.
The PIL, filed by former Congress MLA Farook Shaikh through advocate Harshil Dholakia, had claimed, ‘the company has illegally acquired the said land and also constructed housing accommodation and allied employee infrastructure facilities on the encroached land.’
He said the land at Suvali village in South Gujarat had a market value of Rs 6,228 crore, but it was sold to the private steel firm at a throwaway price and without inviting any tender, thus causing ‘a big loss to the state exchequer’.
Seeking HC directions to quash the decision of State Government to allot the land to Essar, the petitioner claimed the allocation was done without the Centre's prior approval.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala, while disposing of a PIL challenging the allocation of forest land measuring 2.07 lakh sq meters, also asked the Gujarat
Government to demolish the constructions made by the company at the site if the Centre decides not to grant approval.
The PIL, filed by former Congress MLA Farook Shaikh through advocate Harshil Dholakia, had claimed, ‘the company has illegally acquired the said land and also constructed housing accommodation and allied employee infrastructure facilities on the encroached land.’
He said the land at Suvali village in South Gujarat had a market value of Rs 6,228 crore, but it was sold to the private steel firm at a throwaway price and without inviting any tender, thus causing ‘a big loss to the state exchequer’.
Seeking HC directions to quash the decision of State Government to allot the land to Essar, the petitioner claimed the allocation was done without the Centre's prior approval.
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