Calcutta HC rejects plea for fast-track hearing on Adani Group's power project

Kolkata, Feb 7 (IANS) A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea for a fast-track basis hearing of the PIL against the installation of high-tension electricity lines by an Adani Group-owned power plant at Farakka in Murshidabad district.

The division bench of Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bhradwaj had on January 31 admitted the PIL filed by the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) and 30 fruit farmers in the Farakka region. The petition was against setting up of the high-tension electricity lines over the agricultural land in the region by the Adani Group-owned power plant as part of a project stretching from Jharkhand's Godda district to Bangladesh.

The petitioner at the same time had made an appeal for a fast-track basis hearing in view of the interest of the fruit farmers. However, on Tuesday, the division bench rejected the plea, and Justice Srivastava observed that since the objections on this count was made much later after the project work started, there is no necessity of fast- track basis hearing. "A delay of just seven days will not make any difference," Justice Srivastava observed.

The division bench also ordered all concerned related to the project should be included as parties to the PIL. The next hearing in the matter will be on February 20.

The petitioners have stated in the PIL that since the majority of the people in the area through which the high-tension electricity lines will pass are dependent on mango and lychee farming, the overhead lines will impact their livelihood.

They have claimed that these overhead high-tension electricity lines are passing over the mango and lychee gardens and hence their location should be replaced to alternative areas.

They have also claimed that previously too, they had protested against this development but were beaten up by the police.