Pozhichalur residents present alternative land acquisition proposal

Staff Reporter

Present alternative plan on airport land acquisition

TAMBARAM : A group of residents from Pozhichalur, who went to New Delhi to meet Central Ministers to express their concern over the land acquisition for the proposed Chennai airport modernisation project, has described the visit as only "partially successful."

The residents said they had submitted their alternative proposals for expansion of the present airport and also their plans on how a green field airport could be developed near the city limits without affecting anyone.

They met Union Ministers Praful Patel, Dayanidhi Maran and T.R Baalu, former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, former Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Rajnath Singh, president of the Bharathiya Janata Party.

Residents, who have started a new organisation `Endangered Citizens Forum of Pozhichalur, Anakaputhur, Panmmal and Gowl Bazaar' said Mr. Praful Patel, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, told them that no final decision had been taken and that people would be consulted when the final scheme was drawn up.

Ramalingan, Chairman of the Airports Authority of India, told residents that the central agency had not insisted on land in a particular place for expansion.

Further, the AAI would have no problems in starting a green field airport provided the State Government was able to hand over 3,000 acres of land.

The residents who went to Delhi included L. Sivarajan, K. Rajagopal, S. Ramanujam, R. Srinivasan, K. Ramakrishnan and J.P. Mohandas.

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