The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Only soil testing under way for greenfield airport: Karunanidhi

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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Only soil testing under way for greenfield airport: Karunanidhi

Special Correspondent

No plan to acquire lands in residential areas or farm lands

Says decision on project taken at all-party meeting
“State stands to lose if project is shelved”

CHENNAI: Only soil test is being undertaken at Sriperumbudur for the proposed greenfield airport project, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said on Wednesday.

Reacting to agitation plans announced by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the Chief Minister, in a statement, said that for identifying the site for the proposed airport, 4,200 acres had been surveyed and soil testing carried out in 64 places. For examining the techno-economic feasibility of the project, the test was under way in nine places of Sriperumbudur taluk and in three places of Tiruvallur taluk.

Asserting that land acquisition had not yet begun, he said that at a meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary in July, it was conveyed to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that required and minimal land should be acquired. It was not the intention of the government to acquire lands in residential areas or farm lands.

Even if lands belonging to some individuals had to be acquired under unavoidable circumstances, the government was keen on providing adequate compensation.

Referring to PMK founder S. Ramadoss' suggestion to relocate the airport site, the Chief Minister said the present site was chosen after inspecting many other areas and taking into account that a large number of people would be affected if the airport were to come up in these places.

Recalling that the decision to establish the airport was taken at an all-party meeting in May 2007, Mr. Karunanidhi said it was not a unilateral move of the government. The meeting had decided that 4,821 acres in Sriperumbudur and Tiruvallur taluks would be acquired and the AAI would execute the project.

“If the Centre decides to drop the proposed greenfield airport because of agitations by the Opposition, only the State government and the people of the State will stand to lose, not the Union government,” Mr. Karunanidhi said.

Deploring the Opposition for organising the agitations, he said projects were being executed to upgrade the existing airports in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

The neighbouring States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh had overtaken Tamil Nadu by constructing greenfield airports.

Mr. Karunanidhi added that people should identify those who, with the intention of denying credit to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, were working against good projects that ought to be implemented.

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