Farmers in various villages attached to the All India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM) have expressed their opposition to the proposed green corridor expressway project between Salem and Chennai and submitted letters to the authorities refusing to give their lands for the project recently.
The farmers of Aachankuttapatti; Sengattur; Kuppanur; Kullampatti; Yerikadu; Minnampalli; Sinnagoundapuram; Ramalingapuram; Ayodhyapattinam and Varagampadi handed over the refusal letter to the revenue authorities at the Collectorate.
They said that the government has proposed to acquire 20,000 acres of fertile lands and farms and groves for the project and this would badly affect the livelihood of about 25,000 small and marginal farmers.
Already four national highways – Salem-Attur-Villupuram; Salem-Krishnagiri-Vellore; Salem-Harur-Vellore and Salem-Harur-Tiruvannamalai – connect Salem with Chennai.
The proposed new green corridor expressway has been planned near the already existing Salem-Harur-Tiruvannamalai-Chennai national highway. As such, the government instead of widening the existing national highway is planning to have a new road unmindful of the financial loss it will cause to the farming community.
The project will also affect the forest and mineral wealth for which the western region is famous for. The project is only to help the corporate companies to plunder the natural resources, they alleged.
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