Residents line up at the local post office to submit their telegrams to CM Karunanidhi

Chennai residents resort to Gandhigiri
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 09:01:30 pm

A telegram addressed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, sent by a four-year-old girl, pleads him to spare her family that is among the nearly 5000 families who will have to part with their land to make way for the Chennai airport expansion project.

Residents of many such areas that are now under threat are also following suit. In the next 3 days, over 5000 telegrams will find their way to the Chief Minister's office.

The displacement for airport expansion has been a point of contention between the government and the localities as no adequate compensation has been promised. Now, protests are getting innovative and people believe that a dose of Gandhigiri could do the trick.

"We always believe in Gandhian principles. We've held a lot of marches, fasts and even hoisted black flags to register our protests. But Chief Minister Karunanidhi has not taken note of it till now. So as a last resort we are sending these telegrams. We've already sent 600 and plan to send over 5000 so that the CM responds favourably," says Advocate Dayanidhi.

However, it remains to be seen if the government will turn a blind eye to the Gandhigiri that these people have now resorted to. For 25,000 people, this is one more desperate attempt to save their homes or to at least get a good compensation.


LINK