TAMBARAM: Residents of Pozhichalur and nearby areas that are likely to be affected if the State and Central Governments go ahead with the proposed Chennai airport modernisation programme, have decided to resume their agitation with greater intensity.

The decision was taken on Wednesday evening by residents from Pozhichalur, Anakaputhur, Pammal and Gowl Bazaar among others following a note from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and statements from revenue officials of the Kancheepuram district administration. A resident, P. Narayanan Nambiar of Police Commissioner Colony, said he approached the CMDA in March this year to allow him to build a house on a vacant plot he owned in Pozhichalur. But officials turned it down orally.

Following this, he wrote to the Member Secretary, CMDA, on May 23 and sought details on whether it would grant him permission for building the house and whether the land which he owned in Survey No. 236 in Pozhichalur came under the proposed land acquisition for the airport project. He sought the details under provisions of the Right to Information Act, 6 (1).

The CMDA replied to him on May 30 stating that as per the map available with them, the Survey No. 236 in Pozhichalur village "lies under Primary Residential use Zone and also affected by the proposal for international airport in Kancheepuram district." Further, the note made it clear that it was only for information and that any sub-division or construction of building or development in the land in question was not valid in law "unless planning permission is applied for and duly granted for that sub-division, construction or development."

After receipt of this reply from CMDA, residents panicked and during the meeting, they said the issue of acquiring their land for the airport proposed was now "staring at their face" and none of them could afford to be complacent any longer. Moreover, a section of residents in Pozhichalur area who visited a `jamaabandhi' meeting at the Tambaram taluk to seek land pattas were told the land documents could not be issued due to the airport project. Speakers at the meeting criticised the Government for the development and decided to intensity their agitation starting with an "awareness padayatra" on June 11 in all those areas that would be affected by the proposed land acquisition scheme for the airport project.

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