Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam staged a protest demonstration outside the Collectorate on Tuesday against the passage of GAIL’s gas pipeline through farmlands.
The gas pipeline from Kerala to Karnataka passes through three villages in Hosur. In a petition, C. Prakash, the district secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-affiliated Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, stated that the 294 km pipeline from Kottanadu in Kerala via Coimbatore, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri, and Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu culminates in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
While the pipelines are being laid along the road in Kerala and the other districts in Tamil Nadu, in Hosur, near Mathigiri, the pipeline is proposed to be laid through farmlands in the three villages of Idayanallur, Edappalli, and Soothalam, which are primarily marginal landholdings of the public. Works are already being initiated, according to the farmers’ association. The association has also alleged that the Public Sector Undertaking has recruited retired revenue officials to intimidate farmers.
To stop the works, the project-affected farmers, led by the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, have staged multiple protests. On May 23, the farmers initiated a mass petition struggle outside the sub-collector’s office. However, the petitions were not collected, citing the Model Code of Conduct in force at that time, according to the protesters. Yet, GAIL contractors attempted to start work on the pipeline the next day, on May 24, which the farmers stopped.
According to the farmers’ association, the project-affected farmers are maintaining a round-the-clock vigil to save their lands. The protesters have called upon the district administration to intervene and have the pipelines laid along the road without affecting the farmlands.
Published - June 11, 2024 07:54 pm IST
