Residents of Parandur and other neighbouring villages in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram district intensified their protests against the Tamil Nadu government following a government order which stated that an additional 1,000 acres will be acquired on the Chennai - Bengaluru expressway for the Greenfield airport project. Hundreds of residents gathered together and staged a protest against the project on Friday, November 24.
As per the early announcement, the project was supposed to take place on 4870 acres of land from 13 villages including Eganapuram and Parandur. However, the latest order mentioned that the project will require 5746 acres of land from 20 villages. Local residents demanded to change the location of the project and sent 13 representatives to meet Kancheepuram Collector Kalaiselvi Mohan regarding the latest development.
At the collectorate, the District Administrative Officer confirmed to the residents that more patches of land would be acquired. The agitated representatives picketed the collectorate. A police team arrested 13 representatives and shifted them to a community hall. The residents who came to know about the arrest of the 13 residents, hundreds of villagers hit the street holding black flags. One of the protesters allegedly tried to set herself on fire after pouring kerosene over her body. Politicians from different parties urged the government to withdraw the project citing the plights of the farmers in the area.
The lands to be acquired for the project is located in Parandur-A, Parandur-B, Thandalam, Podavur, Thodur, Nelvoy, Valathur, Madapuram, Sekkangulam, Attuputhur, Kuthirambakkam of Kancheepuram taluk and Siruvallur, Karai, Akkamapuram, Edayarpakkam, Ekanapuram, Gunagarambakkam, Mahadevimangalam, Singlibadi and Maduramangalam of Sriperumbudur taluk. As per reports, the recent GO accorded administrative sanction for the acquisition of 3,774.01 acres of patta lands in Parandur A village. A total of 5,746.18 acres is required for the project. Among that, 3,774.01 acres are patta lands and the remaining are government lands.