Kerala - Kochi   

Smart City: landowners to intensify agitation

KOCHI: With the foundation stone-laying function of the proposed Smart City project approaching closer, a section of the landowners protesting against the acquisition of land for the project is gearing up to intensify protests.

The landowners’ protest committee will take out a protest march to the District Collectorate on Friday. The stone laying function to be attended by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan is scheduled for November 16.

“We have been waging an indefinite strike in front of Infopark in protest against the acquisition process for the last two weeks. But the District Collector is yet to concede our demands,” E.K. Jamaal, convener of the protest committee, complained.

About 50 landowners of six acres near Infopark have been on the path of agitation seeking exemption of their land from the acquisition process. The land is also being identified for the stone-laying function.

Meanwhile, Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish told The Hindu that there was no question of parting with the land. If anything, the prices fixed for their land would be revised, he said.

“We are not going to change the venue or schedule of the stone laying function in the face of any protests.

The Tecom authorities, the promoters of the project, along with the State Government and district administration are making the last minute arrangements for the function.

We will hand over the full 246 acres of land earmarked for the project as per the lease agreement on that day itself,” he said.

He sought full cooperation of all sections of the society for the smooth conduct of the function.

According to Mr. Jamaal, the Collector had initially promised to settle their issue by October 27 when they staged a dharna outside the chamber of the Collector.

He said that the landowners again visited the Collector on Tuesday on the issue. “Apart from stating that he was looking into our complaints as per the direction of the Chief Minister, he refused to give us any assurances,” he said.

He said that they decided to take the protests to the Collectorate in view of this alleged non-cooperation on the part of the authorities.

He said that if the situation did not improved, the landowners would further intensify the protests in the coming days.

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