Residents of Madagadipet and Thiruvandarkoil want the territorial administration to hold an immediate consultation with them before taking any decision on the road work being carried out on the Villupuram-Puducherry stretch as part of the East Coast Road project connecting Chennai to Nagapattinam and further providing a link to Rameswaram, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari.
Work on expanding the stretch near Madagadipet on the Villupuram-Puducherry Road, which began at the end of last year, was stopped a month ago after residents secured a stay order from the National Green Tribunal, citing the severe environmental damage the road expansion work would cause in their locality.
The tribunal, in its order on February, 23, 2022, had directed the National Highways (NH) to maintain status quo on felling trees and disturbing waterbodies. The tribunal had also asked the NH to slightly alter the alignment of the road so that the waterbodies and trees are not affected due to the project.
T. P. Prakash, a resident of Kalitheerthalkuppam and a member of the Communist Party of India, who filed the case in the NGT, said the government was supposed to hold a consultation with the farmers of the region before negotiating with NH on the re-alignment of the road.
“The farmers are really concerned as there is complete secrecy regarding the project. We are not against the expansion of the road, but are only concerned about the ecological damage the development could bring to our land. Before the commencement of the project, a gram sabha was convened and the Commissioner of Mannadipet gave us an assurance that we will be consulted. But days after the gram sabha, the project commenced without taking our views into consideration,” he said.
According to K. Gopalakrishnan, a farmer in Thiruvandarkoil, the alignment of the road was such that it would have led to the complete destruction of around 684 palm trees on the bund of Thirubhuvanai tank. These trees are deep-rooted and are helpful in protecting groundwater in the region, he added.
Mr. Prakash said the expansion of the road, if undertaken as per the original plan, would eat away half of the French Canal adjacent to Panchanthisvara temple, which is a declared national monument under the Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. “There are several re-charging canals built by the French in the area. These waterbodies are vital to the farming needs of several villages in the area. At least 24 villages are dependent on these waterbodies for irrigation as well as drinking water. Any threat to the canals will have a devastating impact on the region,” Mr. Gopalakrishnan said.
“It is because of the tribunal’s order that we could save the palm trees and the canal. But still, there is a threat to the trees and the canal as there have been attempts to restart the work even after the order. We have filed a complaint with the Superintendent of Police. The silence of the revenue authorities baffles us, though they had acknowledged the damage the project would bring to the area. If they hold discussions with the farmers and propose a new alignment, things could be settled amicably. We have been approaching the revenue authorities and urging them to hold talks with us, but to no avail,” Mr. Prakash said.
Former Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, P. Devaraj, said the palm trees were environmentally and economically important to the rural population. “The root of the tree is a good soil binder, and it protects waterbodies from soil erosion. The Tamil Nadu government has set up a palm products board to boost the rural economy. It has been declared as a State tree by Tamil Nadu. That itself shows the significance of palm trees and the need to protect them,” he added.
