Residents living on the periphery of the Chennai airport on Wednesday expressed fears that their homes and properties will be acquired for its proposed modernisation.
At the meeting convened by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board as part of the process to obtain environmental clearance for the project, Federation of Pozhichalur Welfare Associations general secretary J.C. Aruldhas said they would not give up even an inch of land. Recalling how in 2006 a similar public hearing was held and the next year residents received land acquisition notices, he said they had to wage a war to ensure that no lands were taken over.
Residents, like federation president T.V. Sivaraman, refused to place trust in the airport authorities and demanded that they give an undertaking that no land would be taken for the project.
Kancheepuram District Collector P. Ponniah allayed their fears and said that at as part of the present phase II modernisation, no additional land was needed and that the Airports Authority of India possessed the required 1,301.28 acres.
Airport Director G. Chandramouli further clarified to the residents that 150 acres of land would be required for safety and approach, which was in the process of being acquired.
Of this, 40 acres would be defence land and of the remaining 110 acres, very little would be private lands. Mr. Ponniah said lands were being taken from Cowl Bazaar, Kolapakkam and Manapakkam.
Chromepet resident R. Mohan said that measures must be taken to reduce air pollution in areas around the airport. Residents, he said, had to bear with high levels of noise and air pollution. He said reaching the airport was also very difficult and at times even to travel 5 km it took over two hours.
Grievances aired
The meeting was used by residents to air their grievances about civic issues. Residents of Pozhichalur demanded that the airport provide them with drains under corporate social responsibility. Sindhu of J. J. Nagar wanted garbage clearance to be taken up on priority basis.
Mr. Ponniah said that a comprehensive project was being drawn up for 52 village panchayats. As far as the area near the airport was concerned, efforts were on to prevent garbage from being dumped into the Adyar river that was being desilted and cleaned. A fence would be constructed for a length of 12 km and vettiver grass would be grown alongside, he added. A total of ₹78 crore had been allocated for this purpose by the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust.
