A day after the withdrawal of the foot march protest towards the Kancheepuram collectorate by Parandur residents, protesters are likely to meet three Tamil Nadu Ministers on Tuesday, December 20, to raise their concerns over the proposed airport. On Monday, residents from Eganapuram and other villages had initiated a march towards the Kancheepuram collector’s office with black flags, demanding that the project be withdrawn. Police security was tightened and discussions were held with officials. The residents withdrew their protest on the promise of arranging a meeting with ministers.
Protesters will hold a discussion with Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Public Works Minister EV Velu and Minister for Rural Industries TM Anbarasan at the secretariat. It is to be noted that the trio had earlier met protesters on October 15, after the villagers announced a foot march towards the Tamil Nadu state Assembly. During the previous meeting, the Ministers promised the residents that they would convey the grievances of the Parandur people to Chief Minister MK Stalin.
“No developments occurred after the discussion. The government went ahead with tender floating for studies. We are totally disappointed,” a resident from Eganapuram had told TNM earlier this month, when the floods in the aftermath of cyclone Mandous raised questions about the proposed airport’s structures hindering water flow, making the flooding situation worse. The cyclone had left Parandur and neighbouring villages inundated with rainwater. “There is no room for discussion on rehabilitation or better offer for our lands and properties. We are only going to demand that the Ministers withdraw the project. If the discussion with Ministers does not help us, we will discuss our concerns with our residents after the meeting to decide on what to do further,” an Eganapuram resident told TNM.
Residents from 13 villages earmarked for the second Chennai airport have been protesting against the project ever since CM Stalin announced the project location in August this year. The state government has offered up to three times the market value for their land and properties but the residents have not relented.
Parandur people intensified their protests after Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO) floated a tender, inviting international competitive bids from consultants to prepare a Detailed Techno-Economic Report (DTER) for the airport. The DTER is required to avail statutory clearances and for assistance in conducting bid process management for the proposed development model for the greenfield airport. TIDCO had, on November 15, denied a request by a Right to Information (RTI) activist to share the pre-feasibility report of the project. “The information sought is exempted from disclosure under section 8(1)(a) (information, disclosure of which will affect interests of the State) of the RTI Act,” TIDCO had said in response to the application filed by a Chennai-based activist.
Source: The News Minute