‘Govt. must allay farmers’ fears over Salem-Chennai expressway’ – The Hindu

PMK youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Sunday said the State government must clarify its position on the status of the proposed eight-lane greenfield expressway between Salem and Chennai.

Warning that the PMK will not hesitate to launch protests if the project is implemented against the wishes of the farmers, he said farmers in six districts are afraid that their properties may be acquired to implement the project. “At a meeting held on December 15 and 16 in Dharmapuri, the farmers submitted a petition urging the officials not to acquire land for the project. The response from the revenue official in the form of a letter has raised new fears,” Mr. Ramadoss said.

He pointed out that while the letter from the revenue official stated that landowners were free to mortgage or divide their property or register their lands, it added that land acquisition in Pappireddypatti and Harur had been temporarily stopped, and it will be restarted, as per the Supreme Court’s order, after obtaining environmental clearance based on guidance from the State government.

“After M.K. Stalin took charge as the Chief Minister, he met the Prime Minister in June and urged him not to implement the Salem-Chennai 8-lane expressway. If that is the position of the State government, there is no need for the revenue official in Dharmapuri to state that land acquisition would be done based on the State government’s guidance,” he said, adding, “Instead, he could have said that land will not be acquired and the farmers need not be scared.”