The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : PMK backs residents' protest against land acquisition

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

PMK backs residents' protest against land acquisition

Staff Reporter

MP leads demonstration against government move at Tambaram

UP IN ARMS: Residents of Sholinganallur and Semmancheri, supported by PMK, stage a demonstration in Tambaram on Tuesday opposing a land acquisition proposal of TNHB in their area. — Photo : A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM : The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has extended its support to the struggle of the residents of Sholinganallur and Semmancheri against the proposal of the State government to acquire their lands for development by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB).

On Monday, the party's MP from Chengalpattu A.K. Moorthy led a demonstration at Tambaram Taluk office in which residents from these two places and his partymen took part.

While welcoming the Chief Minister's statement that land belonging to people who had been living there for several decades would not be acquired, Mr. Moorthy said the Chief Minister should pass an order to that effect.

Others who addressed the programme said residents of Sholinganallur and members of Semmancheri Land Owners Association have been organising protests for some months now, against a proposal of the TNHB to acquire about 80 acres in the two places and develop them as real estate plots.

They said the government had no right to acquire land belonging to people who have been living for generations together. Further, the residents had all documents pertaining to ownership of the land, they said.

Mr. Moorthy said the PMK to protect the interests of local farmers' in Vandalur had sometime ago opposed a satellite township project. Pointing out that the party was also vocal in its opposition to the land acquisition scheme for the proposed Chennai airport modernization project, he said it would continue to support the residents of Sholinganallur and Semmancheri if the State government pressed ahead with its proposal of acquiring land there.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail