Saturday, March 10, 2007

CM office deluged by letters
NT Bureau
Chennai, Mar 10:

The Chief Minister's office at the Secretariat was deluged with more than 300 telegrams from the residents at Pozhichallur, Kowl Bazaar, Anakaputhur and Pammal today urging him to fulfill his assurance in the State Assembly that there would not be dislocation of people and livelihood during the airport expansion project.

It may be recalled that the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has stated in the House that residential areas would not be dislocated as part of the expansion project of the Chennai Airport. However, as the steps were being taken at the airport site to commence the expansion project as decided earlier, various welfare groups at nearby townships, including Pozhichalur, Kowl Bazaar, Anakaputhur and Pammal, held street corner meetings yesterday to draft a plan of action to protest against the airport expansion.

It was decided at the meetings to send telegrams directly to the Chief Minister to remind him of his assurance to the residents that they would not be shifted from their place during a reply at the House proceedings.

The aggrieved residents marched to Pallavaram Post Office and shot off hundreds of telegrams this morning. In the telegram, the Chief Minister was told to fulfill the solemn commitment of safeguarding the interests of residents during the airport expansion which he had made as a statement at the Assembly.

Struggles Committee formed in the neighbourhood to organise protests and demonstrations against the expansion project further said in the telegram that they would continue sending messages to stop the expansion work at the Chennai Airport.

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