Reliance pipeline co files SLP against Andhra HC stay

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Mukesh Ambani firm Reliance Gas Transportation and Infrastructure Company (RGTIL) has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) with the Supreme Court of India appealing against the judgement passed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court (APHC) against its east-west pipeline.
The AP court asked RGTIL to “maintain an interim status quo with regard to the acquisition of land” and restrains the company from laying of pipeline on plots belonging to a group of people who had filed a petition earlier in 2007. The total length of pipeline affected by the petition is expected to be close to 5.2 km. The order was delivered on January 21 this year. In the SLP 4945 of 2008 seeking interim relief, a copy of which is available with ET, the company maintains, “the stay order granted by the High Court is causing tremendous harm and prejudice and is likely to delay the project which will be against national interest”. RGTIL has appealed that the interim order granted by the APHC be stayed. That will be imperative considering that commercial production of natural gas from the Krishna Godavari (KG) basin is scheduled to commence in June 2008 before which the pipeline for evacuation and transportation of gas is required to be in place. The Writ Petition (108 of 2008) was filed by three individuals who purchased three house plots of land of 400 sq yards each (situate in Village Ananthram, Bhongir, District Nalgonda) as the pipeline would deprive them of their plots. “This is a pre-emptive measure that the company is taking to protect its interest,” said a senior Reliance Industries (RIL) official requesting anonymity. “We have paid compensation to all the landowners. Besides, the pipeline runs below the land and will not have any impact on the crop of the farmers,” added the official. However, when contacted, a Reliance spokesperson declined to comment citing the matter to be subjudice. A mail sent to RIL remained unanswered till the time of going to the press. RGTIL, though, is hopeful that the Supreme Court will grant an interim relief in the matter considering that it is of national importance along with the fact that it has incurred an expenditure of almost Rs 36,000 crore on natural gas development and pipeline building along with RIL. A senior RIL official told ET: “We are still hopeful that the pipeline will come up by June as scheduled to synchronise with the commercial production of gas from the KG basin.”

17 Apr, 2008, 0407 hrs IST,Piyush Pandey & Ashish Kumar Mishra, TNN
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