MADURAI
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court imposed a cost of ₹10,000 on a petitioner for preventing authorities concerned from drawing a high tension electricity line over his land in Kanniyakumari district.
The court was hearing the petition filed in 2017 by K. Balakrishnan of Methukummal village in Kanniyakumari district. He had challenged the Collector’s order on installing a high tension line that was to go over his land.
It was said that the project was sanctioned to meet the electricity demands of the region. In 2017, the petitioner had obtained an interim order in the case that resulted in stalling of the project for three years.
Taking into account the larger public interest, Justice C.V. Karthikeyan observed that the authorities concerned, who had every right to draw the power line, had passed the order after giving the opportunity of personal hearing to the petitioner and conducting an inspection on his land.
The court also took into account the fact that the petitioner had put up a temporary tin shade over his house only to prevent the electricity line from being drawn above.
“The entire area requires high voltage electricity supply. The petitioner cannot prevent that benefit being accrued to all households in the area... Therefore, he cannot claim as a matter of right that the line should not be drawn over his house,” the court observed.
Finding no merits in it, the court dismissed the petition. Taking cognisance of the fact that the project was stalled for three years, the court directed the petitioner to pay a cost of ₹10,000 to the Dean of Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai, for the treatment of poor patients.
Published - March 09, 2020 09:39 pm IST
