MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Thursday permitted the officials of the revenue department and Madurai Airport to carry out enumeration works at Chinna Udaippu village for identifying eligible beneficiaries for the free house sites proposed to be granted by the state as part of the rehabilitation measures under the Madurai Airport expansion project.
The officials were earlier prevented by the residents from entering the village by citing an interim order passed by the high court on December 5, 2024, against dispossession of the residents' lands, said additional advocate general Veera Kathiravan, while addressing a bench of justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan, which was hearing a batch of petitions filed in connection with the issue.
Kathiravan contended that over 2,400 residents, including the petitioners, have already received compensation for the land acquisition nearly a decade ago. A total compensation of Rs 170 crore has been paid so far. Owing to the pendency of legal proceedings, Rs 31 crore remains to be paid in respect of nearly 20 acres of land, he added.
Though the government has decided to grant free house sites to the residents in a nearby locality in Perungudi and the revenue divisional officer sent proposals to that effect to the collector on December 16, 2025, the authorities are unable to carry out enumeration works to identify eligible beneficiaries, he further contended.
Due to this, the entire project has been stalled, he added, and sought direction to modify the interim order by permitting enumeration works and construction of a compound wall around the area.
The senior counsel who represented the petitioners did not express objections to the enumeration works. Recording this, the judges issued the above direction. They also allowed the authorities to fortify the marked boundary without disturbing the ingress and egress of the inhabitants of the area.
They also instructed the authorities to inform the beneficiaries about the proposal of granting a house site and get their acknowledgement. The case was adjourned to February 5 for further hearing.