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Anti-port protest to go on

Rajesh Nair

Thengaithittu residents reject Chief Minister's assurances

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

TRYING HIS BEST: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy holding talks with leaders of the Thengaithittu residents association in Puducherry on Friday.

PUDUCHERRY : The government's attempts to dissuade residents of Thengathittu from holding an agitation against the proposed port modernization project on March 27 failed to evoke a favourable response, despite an assurance that the land allotted to the private developer would be taken back.

"Until the government issues an order and physically takes back the land, there is no change in our programme. We will mobilise 10,000 fishermen from the coastal villages and go to the assembly to return our ration cards," Bhasakaran, councillor of Thengathittu told The Hindu .

Chief Minister N Rangasamy held a last-minute meeting with the leaders of the Thengathittu residents association, who are spearheading the agitation, on Friday and assured them that the land would be taken back and an expert committee constituted to look into the merits and demerits of the project.

The Chief Minister reportedly said at the meeting that the committee would consist of technical experts, government officials and representatives of the association. The Chief Minister also assured that there would be no further acquisition of farmland in the area till the expert committee submits the report. "We see the assurance as a tactic to discourage us from holding our March 27 agitation. The people don't want the project in our area and we have made this clear," he said. The leaders of the association went to Chennai in the evening and met Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest A. Raja. Bhasakaran said the Minister promised to have a fresh look at the project.

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