Chennai: Honourable High Court of Madras has restrained the three including, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, Limited- TIDCO, Tamil Nadu Iron Ore Mining Corporation, Limited- TIMCO and the Jindal Vijaynagar Steel, from moving ahead with the project of Rupees 380 crores, even after underscoring the fact that there is an appeal pending before honourable Apex Court of India, regarding the Iron ore mining in the areas of the Kavuthimalai reserve forest in Salem.
It was alleged by S. Gnaneswaran, Advocate who had approached to the Court, that it is for the beneficiation of Iron ore the joint- venture was formed between the Jindal Vijaynagar Steel and TIDCO and also the same was to pellet project in the reserve forest area of Kavuthimalai in Salem. The allegations also include that the said project, in a year, would mine, concentrate and pelletize about 1 million of tonne Iron ore.
However, the honourable Apex Court of India constituted Committee for reviewing the issues of connected to the Environment and Forest, ‘Central Empowered Committee’- CEC on 29th day of June 2009, had refused the permission for the said project.
As per that CEC committee, granting permissions to the concerned project will not be in the interest of Public as it will result entail the felling of about 2.2 lakh of number of Trees on the certain Reserved areas of the Forest that will be 325 Hectares.
As per the claim of Mr. S. Gnaneswaran, Advocate the joint venture formed by Private firm being Jindal Vijaynagar Steel and public firm i.e. TIDCO, will only be beneficial to the Private companies of dealing with steels. Mr. Gnaneswaran termed the concerned project as ‘Suicidal’ due to its threatening the endangered flora and fauna. Not only this, he alleged that the said project will also be polluting the environment of the area and around the area of Districts of Tiruvannamalai and Salem.
However, as per the learned Counsel appearing for private firm, Jindal Vijaynagar Steel the concerned project is yet to commence or become operative, as there are pending the interim relief applications made by TIMCO and TIDCO before the honourable Apex Court of India.
Considering the said contention for the Private firm, the Bench of honourable High Court, comprising of Justice, S. K. Kaul and Justice, T. S. Sivagnanam ruled that till the order of the Apex Court reaches, all three i.e. TIMCO, TIDCO and Jindal Vijaynagar Steel had to wait.
by Faim Khalilkhan Pathan.
