"Issue clear statement on airport modernisation project"

Staff Reporter

Set up an airport that does not affect human habitation: residents

TAMBARAM: The State and Central governments and the Airports Authority of India should issue a lucid statement on the status of the Chennai International Airport modernisation project and whether the project involved acquiring land , residents of Pozhichalur said on Saturday.

Briefing reporters, members of the Federation of Residents Welfare Associations of Pozhichalur said that for the past three months they staged protests, demonstrations apart from meeting officials and elected representatives to elicit their opinion. Despite this, none had come forward with a clear statement on the project.

"We have been asking only one thing repeatedly - transparency on the part of government agencies," said the president of the Federation D. Selvarajan. "We urge the State government and the Airports Authority of India to stick to their original plan of airport expansion or at least set up an airport which will not affect human habitation," he said.

Vice-president of the Pozhichalur Village Panchayat Pon Rathinam refuted the reports, which said that people were divided on this issue and only those who possessed land documents were spearheading the struggle all this while.

People living in the `grama natham' areas for a long time and who do not have pattas too were against this scheme, he said.

LINK