TN challenges Madras HC's order against Chennai-Salem Expressway

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging a Madras High Court order that cancelled the land acquisition announcement for the controversial eight-lane expressway between Chennai and Salem at a cost of about Rs 10,000 crore.

The state government counsel mentioned the matter for urgent hearing before a bench comprising Justices M.R. Shah and A.S. Bopanna.

The court after a brief hearing agreed to take up the matter.

In April, the Madras High Court had stalled the proceedings regarding land acquisition for the eight-lane road connecting Chennai with Salem, a project jointly developed by the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government.

The procedural norms for the 277.30 km highway allegedly damaged forest, flora and fauna in addition to the loss of agricultural land.

Therefore, the project, which was approved in February 2018, faced severe criticism from activists, opposition parties and landowners.

The high court had ruled that environmental clearance was mandatory to commence such a large infrastructure project.

Since June 2018, multiple interim orders were passed by courts in the litigation against the Salem project.