Essar gets SC green flag for Rs 10,000-cr refinery

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed it to go ahead with its Rs 10,000 crore oil refinery at Jamnagar in Gujarat, hanging fire for almost a decade due to controversy over its pipelines passing through a marine national park and sanctuary at Vadinar.

The SC bench said the company was ‘‘entitled to proceed with the project’’. The bench directed the Gujarat government ‘‘to provide within a fortnight’’ all permission required for the purpose of laying the pipeline. Essar, which has already invested Rs 5,300 crore in the project and completed 64 per cent of the project, had moved the Supreme Court challenging the High Court decision on a PIL stalling permission for laying of pipelines through the national park at Vadinar.

Essar Oil Ltd had said Bharat Oman Refineries, Reliance Petrochem and IOC have already been allowed to lay pipeline and marine facilities in the areas and hence the same facility should be extended to it. — (PTI)