CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has approved land acquisition rates for the second Chennai airport proposed at Parandur in Kancheepuram district.
The rates have been fixed from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 2.57 crore per acre based on the Guideline Value (GLV), sale value and private negotiations held at the district- and state-levels to arrive at a “fair” price.
A Government Order was issued by V Arun Roy, secretary of the Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce Department, on June 25. However, residents protesting against the project — since July 2022 — alleged that the state government, in its G.O., has “misleadingly” shown the GLV and sale value to be the same in a majority of cases in order to “deceive people”.
Disparity in relief packages an attempt to divide Ekanapuram residents: Protester
The government had issued administrative sanction for acquisition of 3,774.1 acres of patta land under the provisions of the TN Acquisition of Lands for Industries Purposes Act of 1997, and alienation of 1,972.17 acres of government land to develop a greenfield airport at Parandur.
The project has been facing severe opposition from the residents of 13 surrounding villages as well as from environmentalists. The government’s compensation package, according to the G.O., is well above the GLV/market price. While the G.O. doesn’t specify the total burden on the state’s exchequer, rough estimates peg the cost at Rs 21,591 crore.
The land rates have been fixed under three categories. In the first, the government has fixed three compensation packages based on GLV — ranging from Rs 996.49 crore to Rs 1,591 crore. The GLV is above Rs 17 lakh per acre, whose owners will receive a compensation package of as much as Rs 2.58 crore per acre.
For instance, the owners of 7.2 acres in Attupurthi village, whose land GLV is Rs 7.5 lakh will get Rs 2.58 crore per acre. For Ekanapuram, which has been the epicentre of the protest, the government is offering compensation under the second category — ranging from a total of Rs 760 lakh to Rs 1.2 crore per acre. The entire project comprises 3,774.1 acres of patta land, with the compensation package covering about 3,381.35 acres. There is no mention in the government order about the remaining 392.75 acres.
The state has further employed the annuity method for landowners, wherein they will receive a one-time payment or an annuity package of Rs 3,000 per month for 20 years. Besides, compensation will be provided based on the value of the house, cattle shed, etc. The government has directed the concerned land acquisition officers to pursue the process as per the norms.
Responding to the G.O., S D Kathiresan, a protester and resident of Ekanapuram, told TNIE the villagers would totally reject the proposal. “No private negotiations were held yet. We were not consulted. Now the government is trying to divide us by quoting high prices for land in other villages. The fight will only end when the airport project is completely dropped. Residents of Ekanapuram will never agree to give up land for the airport,” he said.
G Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal said, “A detailed map of the flight path in Parandur and the location of Ekanapuram shows that the village is located right in the middle of the runway and is most likely to be worst-affected. Besides, the government has compared the land prices of three categories based on the average market price or GLV, which is misleading.”