(Prayer in W.A.No.337 of 2003: Writ Appeal against the order dated 09.12.2002 made in W.P.No.4220 of 2000.)

Common Judgment

D. Murugesan, J.

The appellant company is a Government of India undertaking functioning under the administrative control of Department of Atomic Energy and is in the process of separating strategic minerals like Zircon, Monazite, Ilmenite, Rutile, Garnet etc., For expansion of its mining activities in Manavalakurichi area, the appellant company required a large extent of land and accordingly, lands admeasuring about 40.072 HA were acquired by the Government of Tamil Nadu and possession of the land was also handed over to the appellant company during the year 1990-1991. The land owners were paid adequate compensation. The land owners/displaced persons approached this Court by way of writ petitions seeking for a direction to the appellant company to fulfil the promises by providing suitable employment to one member of each family as they were dispossessed of their lands by the acquisition proceedings. The writ petitions were laid only on the ground that in the award enquiry, the Manager of the appellant Company had promised before the Special Tahsildar,