The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam stated this while disposing of a PIL by advocate S Gnaneswaran, seeking a direction to forebear the Union Secretary, Environment Ministry, the Secretary, State Environment and Forest Department and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, to permit the two corporations from carrying out mining and felling of vast number of trees.
He said the Central Empowered Committee took note of the Environment and Forest impact and in its June 29 2009 order and stated that permission sought to fell 2,22,397 trees in 325 hectares each of reserved areas in both forests to set up the project may not be granted and would not be in public interest to do so under forest conservation act.
The petitioner noted the project was stated to be a JV,but that only private steel companies would benefit .Already Jindal Vijayanagar Steel planned to invest nearly Rs 400 crore for it.
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Contending that the project was a "suicidal step", he sought to restrain the authorities from carrying out any mining operation and the felling of more than two lakh trees in Kavuthimalai Reserved forest area in the state.
When the matter came up before the first bench yesterday, Jindal Vijayanagar Steel Limited informed the court through a counter affidavit that interim applications filed by TIDCO and TIMCO are pending before the SC and that no work had commenced nor any mining operations in the forest area.
"This implies neither mining nor cutting of the trees will be carried out in the area and that will be subject to the outcome of proceedings before the Supreme Court.