Residents of Ekanapuram in Kancheepuram district, who are in the cluster of villages that are against the proposed airport at Parandur, have threatened to hoist black flags in all the houses and children will not attend Independence Day celebrations.
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G. Subramaniam, one of the residents who is leading the protests, said: “We will hoist black flags and children will not go to schools to take part in the celebrations to register our protest. We have been stressing the importance of safeguarding our livelihoods. We hope the government will understand and decide not to build the airport here.”
S.D. Kathiresan, another resident, said it was disappointing to see the State government’s eagerness to build the second airport at the cost of their livelihood. He said they had been peacefully holding protests for more than a year now and will continue until the government decides to drop the proposal. “If they don’t pay heed to our demands, we will keep up with our efforts to protest further and won’t give up. After all, for us, there is nothing more important than our livelihood,” he said.
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Although residents had planned to carry out a march to the District Collector’s office, they called it off.
Collector visits village
Kancheepuram Collector Kalaiselvi Mohan, who visited the village on Monday, said that residents had wanted a new building for the VAO office and a panchayat office since both were in a dilapidated condition. “Immediate orders have been issued for their construction. They need a fair price shop and we have taken steps for its construction,” she said.
As far as their demand to build the airport elsewhere, the Collector told them that their concerns would be conveyed to the State government. The residents showed the officials around the village and the waterbodies and fields.