Anbumani to go on 2-day padayatra against land acquisition for NLC

CHENNAI: PMK president and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday announced that he would embark on a two-day padayatra from Saturday in protest against the NLC plan to acquire 25,000 acres of agricultural land for its mine expansion.

In a statement, he said that the attempt to take away the agricultural lands which are the livelihood of the people of Cuddalore district should be defeated.

"I am going to go on a walking tour in the areas affected by NLC in Cuddalore district on January 7th and 8th to insist that the NLC company that is destroying the environment and the livelihood of the Cuddalore people should drop its plan. I would like to inform you that the campaign awakening walk which will start from Vanadhirayapuram Saturday morning, will pass through Thenkuthu, Gangai Kondan, North Vellore, Ammeri, Thoppili Kuppam, Athandarkollai, Rangamadevi and will end at Karivetty village the next day on January 8th in the evening," he said.

He said that NLC has proposed to acquire over 3,000 acres of land from nine villages for expansion of its first mine and 10,000 acres of land from 25 villages for expansion of second mine. Apart from these, he said 12,125 acres of land in 26 villages will be acquired for the third mine. "Although the PMK and the general public have been conducting continuous protests against this, the NLC has not given up its efforts. NLC is intensifying the work of land acquisition with the help of Cuddalore district administration. If 25,000 acres of land is acquired for NLC, around 17,000 families who depend on it for their livelihood will be affected," he noted.

Pointing out that 10,000 acres of land acquired in 1985 for setting up the second mine remained unused for over 37 years, he said that despite this, NLC is pushing for land acquisition as part of the Union Government's disinvestment plan.