UDUPI : The State High Court has served a notice to the Union as well as the State government with regard to acquisition of land at Nandikur and Ellur for laying a railway track and constructing a yard to facilitate coal transportation to the thermal power plant of the Udupi Power Corporation Ltd at Padubidri.
The notice was served acting upon a writ filed by Diwaker Bhat and others of Nandikur and Ellur seeking to cancel the land acquisition notification issued in February 2009. The case is being heard by a single member bench of the High Court comprising Justice BS Patil.
The petitioners had sought a stay to the land acquisition by stating that the land concerned was a flourishing agricultural land where paddy, coconut and palm trees were grown.
They had also complained that the company had intended to set up a railway track with the intention of harming environment by going against an agreement reached upon in 1997 prior to permitting the project, that the company had to transport coal and fly ash through underground pipeline as done by the KIOCL.
The Divisional Bench has directed the Union Environment and Forest Ministry, State Revenue Secretary, KSPCB, Udupi Power Corporation Ltd, Udupi DC and the Konkan Railway Corporation to reply to the notice before the next hearing.

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