The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed a writ appeal filed by a group of agriculturists opposing the erection of high-tension power lines across agricultural fields and near residential areas on the grounds that the low frequency magnetic field can cause ailments such as cancer.
Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy refused to entertain the appeal after recording the submission of the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (Tantransco) that the research studies relied upon by the litigants were not conducted in India.
Additional Advocate General J. Ravindran told the court that the petitioners had relied upon certain papers published in reputed international science journals to claim possibility of brain tumours, but those studies had been carried out in Norway, Sweden and Netherlands. He pointed out that there was no evidence of any study carried out in India having shown that those who reside near high-tension lines suffer the risk of leukemia or brain tumours. There were hundreds and thousands of overhead high-tension lines passing through farm lands here, he said.
The judges recorded his submission that Tantransco had planned to construct towers for the high-tension lines only on farm lands of three out of seven appellants belonging to Sevaganapalli village in Hosur Taluk of Krishnagiri district and that a major portion of the work was already over.
They also refused to accept appellant’s allegation that the high-tension lines were being laid only to benefit Exide Industries, a private company. They referred to the AAG having said that the new sub station would help in solving the low voltage problems faced by surrounding villages.
The first Division Bench also said that the court could not compel Tantransco to go for underground cables instead of laying overhead cables especially when a major part of the work had already been completed and it was impossible to even realign the transmission lines.
The court, however, made it clear that the officials must strictly adhere to the distance norms to be maintained between the towers and other buildings as per the rules and regulations applicable to such issues and granted liberty to the appellants to approach Tantransco in this regard dehors the dismissal of the appeal.
