Parandur airport project is on, but at what cost? PMK to study

CHENNAI: PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday said that the party will form a seven-member team to study the land allotted to Parandur Airport and will analyse the impact to be caused by the project to the lands present in the villages around Parandur.

A public hearing was organised by PMK in Kancheepuram in which residents of 12 villages, which will be affected by the Parandur Airport project, participated.

In the meeting, Anbumani said, "The seven-member committee under the chairmanship of Honorary President of PMK GK Mani will visit all the 12 villages and will get the opinion of the people. The team will also visit all the three remaining places which were rejected by the State government and will analyse the reasons for their rejection," said Anbumani, who also said that the report will be submitted to PMK Founder S Ramadoss and Anbumani Ramadoss who will in turn submit the report to the State government and will hold talks with them.

Anbumani also said that there was no doubt that there should be development and growth in infrastructure, but it should not come at the cost of destroying agriculture and environment. "Developing a sector by destroying another sector is not proper growth. Development should co-exist with agriculture and the environment. We need to balance development and agriculture. We need inclusive growth," said Anbumani.

Residents of the villages who spoke in the meeting expressed their concerns of losing their land for the airport. Prabha from Ekanapuram, one of the 12 villages and the worst affected in the project, said that they do not need the airport at the cost of 12 villages. The major occupation of the people of 12 villages is farming and the airport will destroy the livelihood of all the 20,000 families living in the 12 villages.

Another resident Saroja said that during the election DMK promised that land for Airport will not be taken from their village, but now the same persons are urging them to give the land for Airport. She also said that the Airport will come only after taking the lives of residents of Eknapuram.