Greenfield airport: Cops bar organisations from meeting villagers

CHENNAI: The police force is deployed in Parandur to avoid organisations visiting the villages to collect opinions from the villagers on the proposed greenfield airport.

After the government announced the construction of a greenfield airport in Parandur village on 4,750 acres by taking lands from around 12 villages in the neighbourhood, the ‘shocked’ villagers resorted to protesting in various means. The villagers and the Egnapuram village panchayat president sent a signed letter to Collector M Aarthi requesting to scrap the plan and they also hoisted black flags atop their houses. In the last couple of weeks, many organisations and media started to visit the villages and collect opinions from them on the proposed airport.

Following that Kancheepuram SP ordered not to conduct public gatherings, and protest in the villages and the police formed check-posts in Eganapuram and Kannanthangal to prevent outsiders from entering. The locals said there are police everywhere in the village and those who come to collect our opinion are not allowed inside. However, Kancheepuram police said these are just regular procedures followed to stop unwanted incidents.

The members of the PMK visited the villagers on Sunday and the police did not stop them. After visiting the villagers, the PMK members told the villagers that they would explain the situation to the Tamil Nadu CM.