1,000 more acres for airport:Shocked Parandur hits streets

CHENNAI: Shocked over the fact that nearly a thousand acres more of land is about to be acquired by the government for the construction of the proposed greenfield airport, the protesting villagers in the affected areas took to the streets in large numbers, raising a warcry against the government on Friday.

While 4,870 acres from 13 villages including Parandur and Eganapuram were supposed to be acquired, the latest order says 5,746 acres will be acquired and 20 villages will be taken over. Getting a whiff of the government’s new plans and finding that seven more villages will be affected, the villagers who have been protesting demanding a change in the location of the airport, sent 13 representatives to meet the Collector on Friday.

At the Kancheepuram collectorate, they were briefed by the District Revenue Officer who confirmed the news. The delegation then resorted to a sit-in before the collectorate, claiming that the Machendranathan panel did not keep up their promise and had cheated them. A police team then arrested all 13 and shifted them to a community hall.

After the news spread, hundreds of villagers gathered in Eganapuram holding black flags. Tension prevailed as one of the women attempted to set herself on fire after pouring kerosene over her body.

Karthick, one of the protesters, said the protest will continue their last breath. The government should hear them when they are protesting every day for these many days. Constructing the airport by destroying 20 villages is not acceptable, he said.

“I am living off farming on my 10-acre land. Now the government wants my land. I don’t have any other livelihood, said K Pushpa, another resident of Parandur.