CHENNAI: Condemning the DMK government’s move to acquire land of poor farmers in villages of Sriperumbudur for the building of an airport, AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Friday warned that her party would launch a “massive protest” against the proposed greenfield project.
In a statement here, she also condemned Thursday’s “brutal lathicharge” on 3,000-odd villagers who took out a procession to submit a memorandum to the district collector against acquiring their fertile land for the endeavour.
The Opposition leader said her party would support the affected farmers and would oppose the State government’s “anti-democratic act of grabbing fertile land” from the farmers.
The government has decided to acquire 6,091 acres for the greenfield airport from nearly 20 villages in and around Sriperumbudur. “The work is in progress and the farmers living in the area will lose their houses as well as their livelihood. Schoolchildren would be affected badly and places of worship would be razed to the ground,” she added.
On Thursday, policemen attacked the villagers who took out a rally from the taluk office to collectorate. “The women were badly assaulted and people were chased and beaten up by the rampaging policemen. They did not even spare those who fell in the drainage. Over 200 people were greviously injured and admitted in hospital,” she said.
Jayalalithaa recalled that DMK leader and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had, during the 2006 election campaign, assured distribution of the estimated 55 lakh acres of Porumbokku land to the poor, adding that it had so far remained an unfulfilled poll promise. “It would be apt if Karunanidhi can now give 6,000 acres of land for the greenfield airport from the 55 lakh acres identified,” she added.