SC upholds Centre's notification; No green nod needed before highway construction

The Supreme Court upheld the notification for acquisition of land for the Rs 10,000 crore Chennai-Salem eight-lane green corridor project and said that the Centre and NHAI may proceed to acquire land for constriction of the highway.

The top court, in its verdict, however, dismissed the appeal of landowners against the acquisition of their land for the project. The apex court's verdict came on a batch of appeals filed by the Centre and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and few landowners and others including PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss.

The Supreme Court has said that environmental clearances for developmental projects need to be taken only before "the actual construction" of the project in question, and not while the process of land acquisition for such projects is underway.