Chennai, January 18 (IANS). Tamil superstar and ‘Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam’ (TVK) chief Vijay will lead a protest march in Iganapuram village against the proposed Parandur greenfield airport on January 20.
Greenfield airport is going to be the second airport of Chennai.
Vijay has sought permission from the administration to visit Iganapuram village in Kanchipuram district.
Its aim is to bring to the fore the movement of residents of about 20 villages who have been opposing the project since the year 2022.
Vijay had sought permission from the administration to hold the meeting on January 19 or 20, upon which the Kanchipuram police gave him permission to hold the meeting on January 20.
TVK officials have started preparations for the program by holding talks with the leaders of the protest committee. On Pongal day, two TVK state officials went to Eganapuram and earmarked five acres of land where the meeting was to be held.
TVK general secretary N Anand inspected the vacant land near the Ambedkar statue in Iganapuram village, where Vijay is expected to address the gathering.
Let us tell you, in August 2022, the Central Government has declared Parandur as the site for Parandur Greenfield Airport, against which the residents there protested, saying that it is not good for the environment and the loss of cultivable land.
The government plans to complete this project by 2028. About 5,746 acres of land in 20 villages is to be acquired for the airport.
Iganapuram is one of the villages most affected by the construction of the airport. Village residents say the project will damage both fertile farmland and the environment, threatening their livelihoods as well as the local ecosystem.
The villagers, who have been protesting for a long time, completed the 900th day of protest on 10 January. The villagers have also boycotted Gram Sabha meetings and elections demanding cancellation of the project.
The police have put up barricades to prevent the entry of outsiders into the protesting villages and are also checking vehicles.
BJP, PMK, Puthiya Tamilagam and NGO Arappor Iyakkam, among others, rejected permission for the protest march.
Tamil Nadu Revenue Department has said regarding the matter that the land acquisition will proceed only after talks with the affected people and discussion at the Gram Sabha level. However, the villagers are engaged in protest.
–IANS
MT/CBT
