ALL INDIA SKIN AND HIDE TANNERS AND MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION Vs. LOSS OF ECOLOGY PREVENTION AND PAYMENT OF COMPENSATION AUTHORITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE present writ petition has been filed to quash the award and report for Vellore district, passed by the 1st respondent - THE Loss of Ecology (Prevention and Payment of Compensation) Authority, dated 24.8.2009.

(2.) THE background of facts leading to filing of this writ petition, in brief, are as follows :-

(3.) FROM the facts narrated above, it is apparent that the first respondent Authority had processed 7937 claims, which were received before and after the cut-off date, and on scrutiny it found 515 applications as duplicated and the remaining 7422 claims were processed and due intimation was sent to the petitioner. After making Field Survey, which was intimated to the petitioner, and categorising the claims under two categories and on verification of revenue records, 6045 claims were found to be ineligible and came to be rejected. Finally out of 7422 claims, 1377 cases were found to be affected villagers eligible for compensation due to ecological damage to their lands. By applying the similar methodology adopted in Section 6.1 of the earlier award of the year 2001, the Authority determined a total sum of Rs.2,91,01,278 as compensation payable to affected individuals by 547 polluters, who were identified as polluters in the earlier award of 2001.