KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday directed the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to consider whether the IOC could be directed to surrender the land meant for setting up the LPG plant at Puthuvyppu to the state or the Central government to find alternative arrangements including allowing private investment.A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice P S Gopinathan passed the order while considering a petition filed by E A Lalan of Vypeen seeking a directive to the governments to take urgent steps for the functioning of the LPG handling unit at Puthuvyppu.The petitioner alleged that there is inaction on the part of the Indian Oil Corporation in utilising the 37 acres of land allotted to the IOC for setting up a storage facility for import and distribution of the LPG through pipelines in Kochi city.“If the IOC continues to show indifference, the land should be retrieved by the state and the work should be given to any other company with public sector or private sector. There can be no controversy. There is an urgent need to start supply of cooking gas in pipelines to the city households, because of the great demand in cooking gas,” the court said.The petitioner argued that even after the Cochin Port Trust handed over the land to IOC and getting sanctions from various agencies, the project has not become functional. The petitioner pointed out that there is acute shortage of LPG in the state.Additional Advocate General K A Jaleel submitted that state is also concerned about the urgent need to install pipelines and arrange for supply of cooking gas to city. The court directed the Centre to reply in three weeks.The case will be considered after 3 weeks.
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