MADURAI
At least 300 members owning land on the proposed ₹700-crore Ring Road project connecting Dindigul highway (NH 44) with Tiruchi highway (NH 45B) protested against its construction by the National Highways Authority of India, at the Collectorate here on Tuesday.
The district administration had organised an ‘Objection Hearing’ under Section 3C of the National Highways Act 1956 where landowners in the 29.96-kilometre stretch through 27 villages could state their specific predicaments and submit petitions to the District Revenue Officer R. Gunalan.
The area from Thathampatti to Manthikulam, joining NH 45B at Thamaraipatti, is part of the double-crop region under Periyar canal irrigation — thus largely accepted as Madurai’s most fertile stretch.
Protesters, who attended the two-hour meeting, walked out when V. Saravanan, Project Director, NHAI, Madurai, began addressing the gathering about the proposed technical difficulties in the plan.
“He is not addressing the most important issue - abolishing the Ring Road project. We do not want the road to exist. He is giving us alternative options. This is pointless,” stated N. Shivaji from Khadampatti.
After receiving a notification 21 days ago, the residents of these villages were enraged.
C. Kanimozhi from Kalvelipatti said that the road would ruin all the agriculture and will cause major damage to the waterbodies, particularly tanks and channels running through the stretch.
“Why can’t they expand the existing road between Nagari and Kulamangalam?” she asked. According to this farmer, approximately 490 acres of land producing 3.5 lakh tonnes of paddy will be affected. Many others echoed her opinion.
According to C. Pugazhendhi of Manthikulam, his family’s nine cents and house are being marked for acquisition. He said that the NHAI project would deplete the groundwater level in the area as real estate would boom, leaving no area for penetration.
“Madurai depends on areas like Manthikulam for its drinking water needs. All marriage halls, government offices and institutions which purchase cans all get their water from our area. This move could be detrimental to all the greenery. The ‘greenfield project’ would be pointless,” he stated.
The DRO said that they would examine the technical feasibility of the project and forward the objections to the NHAI Project Manager, who, in turn, would prepare a report on the objections and analyse the possible alternatives to the specific objections.
