The Chennai airport seeking to take off: Second land acquisition notice in Parandur amid protests
Two land acquisition notices and over 387 acres covered.
Amidst ongoing protests by villagers opposing the development of the proposed Chennai greenfield airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram district, the Tamil Nadu government has issued these land acquisition notices for properties located in Ekanapuram village in Sriperumbudur taluk within the same district.
The first notice was issued on August 27 and the second on September 2. The total land situated within Ekanapuram village boundaries that is proposed to be acquired will be over 900 acres. There will be more such notices.
These notices have been issued as per the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997 (Act No. 10 of 1999).
The Act allows the state government to acquire any land deemed necessary for industrial development by publishing a notice in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette specifying the particular purpose for which the land is required.
According to the Act, the government must consult all parties interested in the land before passing an order. The government must also consider grievances of affected parties before and up to 30 days after the notice is issued. The government, however, need not return the land under any circumstances unless the project is dropped or an alternate location is chosen.
The villagers have been protesting since 2022 after the state announced the airport plan. The new airport was proposed since the existing airport at Meenambakkam doesn't have the capacity to handle the increasing traffic, which is estimated to be 100 million a year by 2047. The current capacity of the Meenambakkam airport is 40 million passengers annually.
The residents of Ekanapuram, mostly farmers, have protested against the airport proposal because their homes and livelihoods are under threat.
On August 27, when the first notice was published in the government gazette, the agitated villagers organised a demonstration on the nearby highway. Subsequently, the Sunguvarchattram police filed FIRs against 125 protesters, charging them with obstruction of traffic and disturbing public peace.
Livelihood under threat!
SD Kathiresan, Joint Secretary of the Villagers Against Parandur Airport Movement, claims the notification and everything that follows are normal formalities. But the authorities should be ready to consult us before going ahead with the project, particularly the land acquisition, he says.
In fact, there have been communications between the district Collector, the District Revenue Officer, and other concerned officials, and the representatives of the Villagers Against Parandur Airport Movement for some time, but no consensus has been reached yet.
"The notice is just the starting point. No assessment of the land by the developers has ever taken place. But we know for sure that there is very bleak possibility of a relocation of the airport," says Kathiresan. "We want to keep the farmland, which is our livelihood."
Land acquisition procedure
The Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997, has provisions to protect the interests of the affected people: the government may acquire land provided that the owner and other parties interested are paid an amount for the damages suffered.
Villagers from Ekanapuram have not yet been consulted regarding the compensation amount. Nor have they been informed of rehabilitation and alternate employment plans. Communication regarding the airport development project, after getting site clearance, has been restricted to public notices and vague responses from officials, say the villagers.
However, they do not actually want the compensation as they want to keep their land. And they want to continue farming, they say.
Gajendhiran, a farmer from Ekanapuram, says that the notification was unexpected. His land was notified as per the order published on August 27
"Don't squash our livelihoods," he says, "it does not matter whether they pay us three times or four times [the market value]. I cannot take that money and buy land in a different village. Why should I move out of my village to continue farming?"
"They have come for our fields now. Soon they will come for our houses too," says Gajendhiran.
"We have reached out to every party, every leader. They all visit the village for one day, make grand promises, and forget about it once they leave. The political scenario in Tamil Nadu is like that. There is no strong opposition to represent the people," says Kathiresan.
"Edhukkaaga ivvalo mounam (What is the reason behind this silence)?" he goes on to add.
Kathiresan says their primary goal is to stall the construction of the airport. If the land is taken away despite all these efforts, then we shall look at alternatives, he says.
'Airport development will continue as planned'
Kalaiselvi Mohan, Kancheepuram District Collector, clarifies that once the land acquisition process is initiated, the project work will go on as planned. The hearings for objections to land acquisition will begin soon.
"It is a routine process," she says.
"While most villages have progressed to the compensation negotiation stage, Ekanapuram villagers firmly oppose the project," Kalaiselvi says.
She also notes that there are two groups within the village, with a minority willing to surrender their land to the government. When the villagers agree, they will be compensated generously, she adds.
The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, empowers people affected by industrial development projects to seek adequate compensation. The Act provides guidelines for property valuation and monetary settlements in case of displacement and loss of employment. Kalaiselvi says the government has taken additional measures to provide rehabilitation and alternate employment.
She informs that the measures are a work in progress and that a survey is being taken to address specific issues and customise compensation schemes for every individual. "We’re going the extra mile," says the district collector.
Regarding the loss of fertile and irrigated agricultural lands and the subsequent loss of livelihood for farmers, Kalaiselvi says land in surrounding areas can be purchased with the compensation amount if the person wishes to.
What next?
The development of the Chennai Greenfield Airport was proposed in 2022. Parandur was chosen as the most feasible site among four alternative sites -- Padalam, Pannur, Thiruporur and Parandur.
Last month, the Centre had approved the project and gave site clearance to the developing authority Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). Around 2172.73 hectares of land have been allocated for the airport. Only 173 hectares are government or poromboke or waste land; over 1386 hectares of agricultural land and about 576 hectares covered by water bodies, are in the process of being acquired.
The land is spread across 20 villages. The proposed airport's runway is to be constructed where the Ekanapuram village is located. So almost all the land at the village will be utilised for the airport. And that is why the villagers are among the staunchest opponents of the project at the moment.
