Citing Kallakurichi hooch tragedy, Parandur airport protesters put off plan to seek asylum in Andhra Pradesh
The ongoing protest, held at night, against the green field airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram completed 700 days on Sunday night.
Ekanapuram residents waiting for a solution to their demands after 700 days of protests, on Sunday
CHENNAI: The villagers protesting against the green field airport at Parandur have postponed their plan to immigrate to Andhra Pradesh as a show of compassion for the victims of the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy.
The ongoing protest, held at night, against the green field airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram completed 700 days on Sunday night. A week earlier, the residents of Ekanapuram in Kancheepuram announced that their long-term protest against the Parandur Green Airport project had not been fruitful.
“The state and central governments haven’t listened to our grievance but are speeding up the internal works for the airport and acquiring more land from us. We are planning to take refuge in the Chittoor district of Andhra to continue our livelihood,” said G Subramaniyan, secretary of the protesters committee.
He added that people who lost their lives in the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy were people belonging to Dalit communities like them, and to share their suffering, the immigration move has been temporarily postponed.
As a way of expressing their regret, villagers protested in various manners like boycotting the Gram Sabha meetings, hunger strikes, black flag protests at homes, boycotting educational institutions by not sending their children to school and tractor rallies towards the Kancheepuram collectorate.
“To acquire the necessary lands, a special officer in the rank of Deputy Collector and several special officers in the revenue department have been appointed in the Kancheepuram District Collectorate. Apart from that, a separate government office has been started and functioning in the Ponneri Karai area near Kancheepuram for land acquisition,” said Subramaniyan.
He complained that Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha constituency MP TR Baalu did not make his visit after making promises in 2019.
“It’s like an independent moment within India. We will continue the fight for our land and rights, even if it costs our lives. Aside from the protests, we are ready to face the issue legally as well,” he said. He also claimed that the opposition and BJP leaders had been contacted about the issue and were confident they would participate in the movement within a week.
