THOOTHUKUDI: Condemning the move to acquire land for a Space Industrial Park and Propellants’ Park, residents of Athiyakurichi and the villages surrounding Udangudi observed a one-day hunger strike. The Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce department recently notified over 1,500 acres at Athiyakurichi village for land acquisition on behalf of Space Industrial Park and Propellants Park project.
The residents have been protesting against the land acquisition for the past two months, and also staged a walk out from the collectorate during the grievance redressal meet held for land owners on February 20.
As police denied permission for the agitations, the organisers obtained a court order to register their opposition. On Saturday, the residents and farmers of Athiyakurichi, Kulasekarapattinam, Kottangadu, Uthiramadankudiyiruppu, Vethakottaivilai, Gnaniyarkudiyiruppu, and other villages participated in the one-day hunger strike.
Activist V Gunaselan said agriculture has been waning away due to poor water projects. “The state has already acquired large parcels of land for industries at Nazareth, Sathankulam and Nanguneri in the southern districts, but they were all put to disuse. The agitation will be furthered and it will be taken as an election agenda,” he said.
The farmers appealed to the state government to stop land acquisition for the space park project and to ensure protection for agriculture, the mainstay of the region.
Anti-nuclear activist Suba Udhayakumar, Anti-Sterlite activist M Krishnamoorthy, Arul Arumugam of Melma anti-SIPCOT movement, advocate Deivammal of People Against Tungsten Project, VP Jeyakumar of Hindu Munnani, and Arumugapandiyan of Pumpset Farmers Association were among those who participated in the protest.