( 1 ) SINCE common issues are involved in all these three Special Civil Applications and since the prayers made therein are almost same and similar, all the three Special Civil Applications are being disposed of by this common judgment and order.

( 2 ) AT the joint request of the parties, all the three matters are finally heard at length at the admission stage and they are being finally disposed of.

( 3 ) ALL the three petitions are filed by way of Public Interest Litigations under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. The first petition, being Special Civil Application No. 14460 of 2004, is argued at length by all the learned counsels appearing for the respective parties. The learned counsel appearing for the petitioners in Special Civil Applications No. 14813 and 14819 of 2004 are also permitted to make their submissions as interveners. The facts and submissions are mainly taken from that first petition.

( 4 ) THE petitioner no. 2 is claiming to be a NGO involved, inter alia, in the protection of environmental laws and other public related activities. Before filing the present petition, the petitioners had filed Special Civil Application No. 8937 of 2004 before t