The survey by revenue officials for the Salem-Chennai green corridor project began on Tuesday at Thundalkazhani village near Padappai in Sriperumbudur taluk of Kancheepuram district.
The officials surveyed lands in Karasangal and Padappai and installed the stone markings. Sources in the Revenue Department said that they would proceed with surveys in Orathur, Vadakkupattu, Aappur, Guruvanmedu, Palur, Arumbuliyur, Aanampakkam, Manalmedu, Ozhukarai, Ilanagar and a few other areas close to Tiruvannamalai district.
In view of the continuing resistance by farmers and villagers, a large number of police personnel accompanied the survey team. At Thundalkazhani village, the officials surveyed fertile fields with standing coconut groves, jasmine gardens, apart from paddy fields and installed the stones.
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Farmers upset
K.S. Senthilnathan, a caretaker at one of the farmhouses, said he already informed the owner of the property in the city, while a few anxious farmers from Orathur shed tears by saying that acquiring of their fertile lands would hit their families’ livelihood. No amount of compensation would match their happiness in cultivating their ancestral property and moreover they would not get another paddy field nearby for the amount the government is offering, said Shenbagam of Pazhaveri village.
The Salem-Chennai corridor will be a 277 km-long eight-lane highway, of which 59.1 km would run in Kancheepuram district. It covers land at Sriperumbudur, Chengalpet and Uthiramerur taluks. The project has come in for opposition from some quarters in Salem and Tiruvannamalai on the ground that farm and forest lands would be affected.
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On June 28, the Madras High Court had issued notice to the Union and State governments on a petition from an NGO, "Poovulagin Nanbargal" (friends of earth), seeking to nullify the land acquisition process for the project.
The court had on July 5 observed that the proposed project would benefit people and dismissed a petition seeking permission to hold a public meeting against the ₹10,000 crore project on July 8.