THOOTHUKUDI: The Thoothukudi district administration has identified 600 acres of SIPCOT land at Vaippar village for the rehabilitation and resettlement of salt producers who will be affected by the proposed shipyard project at Mullakadu beach.
Vaippar village is located 30 km from Mullakadu on the east coast.
Fishermen, salt pan operators, and workers will benefit from the alternative land at Vaippar.
In order to take possession of the land at Mullakadu for the shipyard project, the district administration had launched three packages of schemes for the rehabilitation, resettlement and restoration for the affected fishermen, salt pan lessees and salt pan workers, respectively.
A government order (G.O.) had earlier cancelled the lease of salt pans at poramboke lands in Mullakadu village, while also provisioning for diversion of land classification.
The district administration had identified 1,700 acre of poramboke land for the green field shipyard project at Mullakadu village. Of the 1700 acres, nearly 900 acres are under lease, including 750 acres of salt pans, and 40 acres is patta land.
As per the survey conducted by the revenue officials, the actual lessees had doled out the land as internal (inner) lease to big salt producers.
“The government leased the land for Rs 130 per acre, however, nearly 25 big salt producers have taken the land for inner-lease paying Rs 50,000 to the actual lessees. Over 500 workers depend on the salt pan for survival, and they reside at Mullakadu, Korampallam and Pullalveli, the officials said.
“The G.O. has been issued in order to comply with the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court order,” a senior revenue official told TNIE.
As per the resettlement package for the salt pan operators, the district administration had identified 600 acres at Vaippar village for lease to salt pan operators. The package encompasses essential infrastructure including bunds, channels, access roads and other basic requirements for salt pans, and compensation for the patta land holders as per the RFCTLARR Act, alongside redevelopment assistance.
Commenting on the packages, a top revenue official, on conditions of anonymity, told TNIE that “Usually, compensations are not provided while retrieving the government porambokku lands for industrial projects. However, the relief has been planned for a ship building project considering the importance of the project,” he said.
P Sekar, Secretary of the Kovalam Pasuntharai Small-scale Salt Producers Association, opposed the packages granted by the Thoothukudi district administration.
“The package offering land for salt pans at Vaippar is practically not possible. The workers and the infrastructure cannot be moved 30 km away all of a sudden. The compensation for making salt pan is very meagre,” he said.