Residents near Madurai airport seek assurance before land acquisition

MADURAI: Several people, who reside at Chinna Udaipu, a locality near the airport in Madurai, lodged a protest on Sunday against a move to demolish their dwellings without accepting their demands.

A team comprising officials from the Department of Revenue reached the spot, where earthmovers were positioned, to raze the houses. Some of the agitating dwellers including a woman with a kerosene-can climbed up an overhead tank and threatened to set herself ablaze if any houses were demolished. However, the officials convinced them and brought them down.

The inhabitants have been agitating since Friday demanding three cents to each of them under the city limits, and placed other demands including government jobs for educated youths and jobs as security guards and gardeners in the airport.

Land is being acquired for the expansion of the airport in Madurai.

A total of 63 families live in the area. Since compound wall construction is about to begin, the inhabitants were asked to vacate. But they demanded a week’s time.

“The inhabitants also asked for the assurance in writing on Monday,” District Revenue Officer R Sakthivel said.