Chennai, Sep 20 (IANS) PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the Tamil Nadu government to abandon its plans to acquire additional land for a new SIPCOT industrial complex and the expansion of NLC mines in Cuddalore district, warning of a major protest if the proposals are pursued.
In a statement, Ramadoss said the government had issued a fresh notification to acquire 164.20 acres in Thiagavalli and Kayalpattu villages, in addition to 1,097 acres already notified for the proposed SIPCOT complex, even as area residents had been continuously protesting against the earlier acquisition order.
Much of the land had previously been purchased from farmers at low prices by two large private companies, and local people were demanding its return, he said, adding that the government’s attempt to acquire it now was unacceptable.
According to Ramadoss, the new industrial complex would cover 1,283 acres. When added to the existing 2,625-acre SIPCOT estate in Cuddalore, the district would have industrial estates spread across 3,908 acres. Such large-scale industrialisation would not represent development but would expose the district to further environmental damage, he said.
He also opposed the proposed acquisition of residential plots for the expansion of NLC’s Mine-I.
The government had announced plans to acquire 68 plots covering 12.60 acres in Gangaikondan village and 77 plots covering 3.21 acres in Vanathirayapuram.
More than 100 families could be rendered homeless if the acquisition proceeded, the PMK chief claimed.
He also alleged that untreated waste discharged by chemical industries in the existing SIPCOT complex had already polluted Cuddalore’s soil, groundwater and air. He claimed that hazardous substances, including carcinogenic dioxins, had been detected in the region and that NLC’s mining activities were affecting people across the district.
He said the agricultural lands proposed for acquisition were fertile and could generate annual income of up to Rs 10 lakh. However, the guideline value in some areas had been fixed at only Rs 3.31 lakh an acre. Even the enhanced compensation offered by the government would be far below the prevailing market value, he alleged.
Questioning why the government had abandoned the Parandur airport project but continued acquiring land in Cuddalore, Anbumani demanded the withdrawal of notifications covering 1,277 acres for SIPCOT and NLC projects. The PMK would mobilise affected residents and launch a major agitation if the government failed to act, he warned.
–IANS
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