MADURAI
A public interest litigation petition was filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday against the proposed 500 MW solar power plant at Kadaladi in Ramanathapuram district.
The petitioner, S. Thangasamy of Kadaladi, said a total of 1,633 hectares of land had been identified for acquisition, making it the second largest power project in the region. The proposed site would affect the abundant coconut and palm trees grown in the area, he alleged.
Moreover, residents of Kadaladi, who earned a living from the byproducts of coconut, would be affected as a result of the project. The authorities concerned had now gone ahead with land acquisition for the project. Even the rate of compensation offered was far less than the land cost, he claimed.
He said the establishment of the solar power plant would affect the agricultural output of the region and sought a direction against the Department of Energy commissioning the plant.
A Division Bench of Justices K.K. Sasidharan and P.D. Audikesavalu directed notice to the Department of Energy and the Ramanathapuram district authorities and adjourned the case for further hearing.
