Frustration is mounting among villagers of Parandur and nearby areas as they threaten to relocate to Andhra Pradesh due to the lack of response from authorities regarding their prolonged protest against the acquisition of their lands for Chennai’s second airport.
The Tamil Nadu government issued the notification for acquisition of land for the Parandur airport soon after the results of the Lok Sabha polls were declared. Their opposition has taken many forms, including sit-ins, protest marches, hunger strikes, the hoisting of black flags, and election boycotts. Each night, villagers assemble in Eganapuram for a silent protest, a steadfast demonstration of their resistance for nearly two years.
Initially, the villagers received support from opposition parties, but they now feel abandoned, left to advocate for their cause alone. Meanwhile, authorities remain focused on completing the airport by 2028, pressing ahead with land acquisition. Originally planned to cover 4,870 acres across 13 villages, the project has expanded to 5,746 acres in 20 villages, worsening the villagers’ plight.
Desperate and with no viable alternatives, Parandur residents announced on Saturday their plan to move to Andhra Pradesh. “It is better to move out of Tamil Nadu rather than live as a slave here in our own land,” the villagers declared, expressing their deep sense of betrayal and desperation.
The villagers’ sustained and varied protests aim to highlight their grievances and stop the airport project, but their efforts seem to have been ignored, with little intervention from political leaders or government assurances to address their concerns.
The authorities’ determination to complete the airport by 2028 has intensified the land acquisition process, causing more distress among the affected communities. Expanding the project from 4,870 acres in 13 villages to 5,746 acres in 20 villages underscores the government’s commitment to the project, despite local opposition.
Amidst the turmoil, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief TTV Dhinakaran came down heavy on the DMK government for ignoring the plight of the protestors.
In a strongly-worded statement, Dhinakaran said “The Tamil Nadu government’s plan to implement the new airport project in Paranthur, which threatens to destroy agricultural lands, water bodies, and residences, thereby completely disrupting the livelihoods of farmers and civilians, has caused an unprecedented crisis. For the first time in independent India, citizens are fleeing their own state, effectively becoming refugees due to the actions of their government.”
He urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to immediately engage with the people and farmers of Paranthur who have decided to leave Tamil Nadu and called for the withdrawal of the notification for land acquisition for the Paranthur Airport.
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