Electricity (Supply) Act, 1927

Compulsory acquisition of land, etc., by the Board.

45.—(1) If and whenever the Board thinks proper to acquire compulsorily any land or to acquire or use compulsorily any easement or other right over land or any right of impounding, diverting, or abstracting water for the purpose of the exercise of any of the powers or the performance of any of the duties or functions conferred or imposed on it by this Act, the Board may by special order declare its intention so to acquire such land or so to acquire or use such right, and every such special order shall operate to confer on the Board full power to acquire compulsorily the land or to acquire or use compulsorily the right mentioned therein under and in accordance with this section.

(2) The Board shall not make a special order under this section in relation to the compulsory acquisition of a right of impounding, diverting, or abstracting water without previous consultation with the Minister for Fisheries.

(3) The Board shall not make a special order under this section in relation to the compulsory acquisition of a right of impounding, diverting, or abstracting water in or from any canal without previous consultation with the Minister.

(4) Before making a special order under this section, the Board—

(a) shall deposit and keep open for inspection in its principal office or some other suitable place such plans, specifications, and other documents as will show fully and clearly the land or right intended to be acquired or used by virtue of the order, and

(b) shall give notice, in such manner as it may consider best adapted for informing persons likely to be affected by the order, of its intention to consider the making thereof and of the manner in which representations and objections in respect of the order may be made, and

(c) shall, if it considers it expedient so to do, cause a public inquiry to be held in regard to the making of the order.

(5) A special order made under this section may incorporate—

(a) the Acquisition of Land (Assessment of Compensation) Act, 1919 , with the modification that the expression “public authority” shall include the Board, and

(b) the Lands Clauses Acts so far as the same are not inconsistent with the said Acquisition of Land (Assessment of Compensation) Act, 1919 .

(6) Nothing in this section shall authorise the Board to acquire use, or otherwise interfere with compulsorily under this section any land or water or any easement or other right over land which at the date of the first publication of notice of the intention of the Board to consider the making of a special order in that behalf belongs to a gas or water undertaker and is used or authorised to be used by such undertaker for the purpose of his undertaking.