The Village Panchayat Gundewadi Through Its Sarpanch v. The Executive Director Cgd Indian Oil Corporation Limited And Others
2025:BHC-AUG:16835-DB
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
BENCH AT AURANGABAD 930 WRIT PETITION NO. 6942 OF 2025 The Village Panchayat Gundewadi Through It's Sarpanch
VERSUS
The Executive Director CGD Indian Oil Corporation Limited And Others ...
Mr. Aniruddha A. Nimbalkar, Advocate for the Petitioner Mr. S. V. Hange, AGP for Respondents State Mr. Anand P. Bhandari, Advocate for Respondent Nos. 1 and 2 Mr. S. R. Yadav-Lonikar, Advocate for Respondent Nos. 4 and 5
CORAM
: RAVINDRA V. GHUGE & Y. G. KHOBRAGADE, JJ.
DATE : 26th June, 2025 ORDER:
1.
This Petition was moved in vacation on 2nd June, 2025. The learned Vacation Court issued notice, returnable on 16.06.2025. On the next day (3rd June, 2025), the Petitioner moved a motion orally indicating urgency, without notice to the Respondents. The matter was taken on Board. The contesting Respondent was not even served. 2.
A public project undertaken by the Indian Oil Corporation for a major gas pipeline, was stayed by the interim order of this Court dated 3rd June, 2025 on the ground that if the laying of the gas pipeline is continued, it would cause inconvenience to the public at large due to excavation adjacent to the residential houses of village Gundewadi.
3.
We have heard the learned Advocates for the Petitioner and the Company. Since the learned Advocate Shri Yadav-Lonikar is on the Panel of Jalna Zilla Parishad and considering the urgency in the matter, we requested him to assist the Court. He has, therefore, caused his appearance on behalf of the Zilla Parishad.
4.
After extensively hearing this matter, we find that the Petition is filed purely on apprehension, surmises and conjectures, which can be summarized as under:- (a) Gas pipeline is being laid besides the road in between residences and the road shoulders.
(b) Since this is a high pressure gas pipeline, in future, there may be an accident. An alternative road may be searched by the Company and the present path of laying the pipeline may be deviated and turned in a different direction. (c) Prior permission of the Grampanchayat was not taken. (d) Rs. 41.43 lakhs were paid by the Company to the Zilla Parishad towards the repair expenses for restoring the status of the Kaccha road or Pucca road or concrete road etc. as would be assessed and quantified by the Zilla Parisad.
(e) Compensation amount is not paid to the Village Panchayat. (f) Beyond the permission granted to the Company, they are illegally excavating the land and illegally laying down pipelines beyond 1.7 kms. of the permission granted.
(g) Loss is caused to the Gampanchayat by the excavation. 5.
We find from the pleadings in the Petition, that there is no averment as regards act of the Company of purportedly digging illegally and illegally laying of the pipeline. There are no pleadings that it was the Village Panchayat which spent money from it's pocket and laid concrete road or the paver blocks or the Pucca road, etc. Now the Petitioner Sarpanch present in the Court, has instructed the learned Advocate for the Petitioner to state that the development works in the village were with the funds of the Central Government or the State Government through the Zilla Parishad and the Village Panchayat had never used it's fund.
6.
Considering the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Mahadeo Savlaram Shelke & Ors. V/s. Pune Municipal Corporation & Anr., 1995 (3) SCC 33 and Shiv Kumar Chadha V/s. Municipal Corporation of Delhi, (1993) 3 SCC 161, public projects are not to be interfered with unless there is a gross and glaring illegality which is pointed with substantiation.
7.
A public project cannot be stayed on conjunctures or surmises or apprehension. No development in this country would take place if water or sewage or gas pipelines are to not to be laid underground,
because every person, who has a dwelling, objects to the laying of such pipelines, development projects on the ground of some inconvenience to the residents and people residing in the said areas. After such projects are completed, the original condition of the road or the paver blocks, footpaths, etc. as the case may be, have to be restored. If the trees are required to be uprooted for the widening of the road, the project entails plantation of the trees more in number than the trees which have been chopped down or uprooted.
8.
We have perused the order dated 26.03.2025 passed by the Executive Engineer (Construction), Zilla Parishad, Jalna. 10 conditions are imposed on the Company, which reads as under:- " सदरिल संचि के ी वरिल का्वाही पू्ቓ झाली आसल््ामुळे, विवष्ांविकत ्ቚसतावास सव साधा्ቓ सभे ा मान््ते नुसा तसे का्काी अभिभ्ंता (्ቚमं्ቇास्ो) महाा्ቖ्र ्ቇामी्ቓ स्ते विवकास संस्था, जालना ्ांनी सु ीत केलेल््ा खालिलल अटी व शत0स अधीन ाहुन, मा. अचितरि्ሹ मुख््का्काी अचिधकाी, जिजल्हा परिषद, जालना ्ाच््ा स्वा्ቌरिने अंचितम पवा्ቓगी देण््ात ्ेत आहे. १.
स्त््ाच््ा उपलब्ध असलेल््ा मोकळ््ा जागेमध््े पाईपलाईन बसविवण््ा े काम हे पंखेभावा ी रुंदी सोडुन नालीकामाध््े कण््ात ्ावे. 2.
सदील कामामुळे भविवष््ात एखादा अपघात व दुघटना झाल््ास त््ा ी सवस्वी जबाबदाी कंपनी ी ाहील.
3.
काम ्ቚगतीत असताना म.्ቇा..विव.सं. जालना व बां.विव.जिज.प. जालना अचिधका-्ांच््ा संपकात ाहुन काम पु्ቓ कण््ात ्ावे. ४.
पवानगी ्ቚा् झाल््ानंत अजदााने गॅस पाईपलाईन टाकतांना वाहतुकीस अडथळा / गै सो् हो्ቓा नाही ्ा ी संबंचिधत कंपनीने द्ቌता घ््ावी.
५.
संबंचिधत कंपनीने सद काम कतांना स्त््ाच््ा लगत धाኌमक स्थळे व स्माशानस्थळे ्ां े बाबतीत आपल््ा स्वतःच््ा जोखमदाीव विवषेश काळजी घेऊन काम कावे. ्ा बाबत उ्ቓव्ቓा-्ा ्ቚक्ቓा ी सवस्वी जबाबदाी पवानाधाकां ी ाहील.
६.
संबंचिधत कंपनीने गॅस पाईपलाईन टाकतांनी वील संदभ0् ्ቅ.२ शासन विन्ቓ् परिप्ቔकातील तसे वेळोवेळी विनगविमत हो्ቓा-्ा शासन परिप्ቔक / शासन विन्ቓ्ाच््ा अविट व शत0च््ा पुतता क्ቓे संबंधीत कंपनीस बंधनकाक ाहील.
७.
गॅस पाईपलाईन े काम कीत असतांना स्त््ाच््ा बांजूस अቜኌस्तत्वात असलेल््ा झाडांना इजा हो्ቓा नाही ्ां ी काळजी कटाक्ቌाने काळजी घ््ावी. अपरिहा् का्ቓास्तव झाडे तोडण््ा ी आवश््कता भासल््ास ्ा साठी संबंधीत स्ቌम ्ቚाचिधक्ቓा ी पूव पवानगी घे्ቓे बंधनकाक ाहील. तसे तोडाव्ाच््ा झाडांच््ा ५ पटीने झाडां ी ोपां ी लागवड क्ቓे व त््ा ी विकमान एक वष विनगा ाखने संवधीत पवानगी धाकास बंधन काक ाहील.
८.
गॅस पाईपलाईन े काम व स्ता खोदून पुववत कण््ाच््ा कामा संबंधीत उप अभिभ्ंता (बांधकाम) जिजल्हा परिषद उप विवभाग, जालना, ्ांच््ा विन्ं्ቔ्ቓाखाली / देखेखीत ाहील. आकस्मीक परिቜኌस्थतीमध््े गॅस पाईपलाईन े काम थांबविवण््ा े ह्ሪ जिज.प. जालना नी ाखून ठेवले आहे. १०.
भविवष्् काळात सद गॅस पाईपलाईन खाब होऊन नागी वसाहतीस धोका उत्प्ቐ झाल््ास ्ां ी का्देभिश नुकसान भपाई ी जबाबदाी आपल््ा कंपनीव ाहील. मा. ्ቚशासक ्ांच््ा मान््तेनुसा." 9.
The apprehensions voiced by the Petitioner are clearly answered and taken care of in all these conditions. Each of the conditions, if read carefully, would indicate that whatever apprehension the Petitioner has in his mind, including the apprehension that whether there would be any accident due to the gas pipeline, is also taken care of. The pipe is being laid 1.2 meters below the ground. In advance, the Company has deposited Rs.41.43 lakhs with the Zilla Parishad to absorb the costs of restoring the Kaccha road, Pucca road or paver blocks etc. to their original conditions.
10.
Though there are hardly any pleadings in the Petition, on the points which have been canvassed by the learned Advocate for the Petitioners, we have still entertained the submissions and we find that
every aspect is answered in the conditions imposed by the Zilla Parishad on the Company.
11.
A communication of the Executive Engineer addressed to the Deputy Engineer (Construction) of the Sub Division, Jalna, dated 22.05.2025, would also indicate that the Zilla Parishad is monitoring the project and keeping a vigil on the nature of work being done to watch whether the conditions imposed are strictly followed or not. While doing so, the Deputy Engineer is called upon to assess whether any further damage is caused, either to the water connection pipeline/ sewage pipeline or the light poles or the cement poles or the paver blocks. He is directed to make an assessment of the costs for repairs in the eventuality of any of these facilities being damaged. 12.
In view of the above, we find that this Petition is filed purely on apprehension. Before any damage is caused, the Petition is filed through the Sarpanch voicing apprehensions. Hence, we make it clear that if any of the facilities are disturbed and which are beyond the scope of the deposit amount of Rs.41.43 lakhs, under the directions of the Zilla Parishad, an assessment would be made and would be got verified from the Company and the amount, if any, would be taxed to the Company by ensuring that the said funds are delivered to the
authority who had spent the funds on such facilities. In short, such amount would not be handed over either to the Sarpanch or to the Village Panchayat. It will be spent by the appropriate authority of the Zilla Parishad, keeping in view, the authority, which generated the funds for providing such facility.
13.
This Petition is dismissed.
14.
The learned Advocate for the Petitioner prays that costs may not be imposed on the Petitioner. In view of the said request, no cost. 15.
The parties need not wait till this order is uploaded on the official website. They shall act on this order, since it is dictated in the open court.
( Y. G. KHOBRAGADE, J. ) ( RAVINDRA V. GHUGE, J. ) JPChavan