PANJIM: The Supreme Court of India on Thursday reserved its judgment on recommendations made by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) relating to the South Western Railway (SWR) double-tracking in Goa.
According to Goa Foundation Director Claude Alvares, who was present in the apex court, the three-member special bench comprising Justices Rao, Bose and Gavai was supposed to hear the balance of the challenge by the railways to the recommendations of the CEC cancelling the double-tracking proposal of the South Western Railway and RVNL
The matter was almost fully heard on April 7, after the Tamnar power line order had been passed. However, counsel for Railways had pleaded for permission to file additional documents and for further arguments. On Thursday, though the documents were filed, counsel for the railways was absent and another counsel asked for the matter to be adjourned.
Justice Rao appeared unhappy since the bench had been specially constituted for this. On hearing the request, Justice Rao refused it and announced the hearings were going to be treated as completed and declared that the matter was reserved for judgement by the court.
During the last hearing on April 7, the Supreme Court had accepted the CEC recommendations of using the 220 kV line alignment for the new 400 kV Tamnar power line alignment and not to use fresh forest areas in Mollem for the power line project.
The Court had posted two other petitions – contempt petition against the Goa Tamnar Transmission Project Limited (GTTPL) for felling of some 3000 trees at Sangod, the site of the proposed sub-station and had also adjourned the application of the GTTPL for permitting it to obtain a conversion sanad.
Earlier, the Court had decided that it would hear the contempt petition before it heard the Goa Tamnar Transmission Project Limited application for the conversion sanad.
