Residents oppose airport expansion

9-May-2008

Chennai: After several attempts at negotiations and an unsuccessful court battle, residents of Manapakkam and Tharapakkam have decided to go all out against the Chennai airport expansion project. More than 100 people who have invested in housing projects promoted by Macro Marvel in Manapakkam and EVP Township in Tharapakkam on Thursday pledged not to hand over their land or houses to the district administration, even though the area has been marked for acquisition.

Two residential projects fall within the area demarcated for acquisition for airport expansion. The government kicked off the land acquisition process when it started sending out notices to residents in November, 2007. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to build a parallel runway, a taxi way and aircraft bays once the land is handed over.

Residents who are already living in Macro Marvel and those who have invested Rs 30 lakh and more on land and house in EVP Housing today protested against the district administration’s move to acquire land at a meeting with district collector Santosh K Mishra.

Residents raised doubts over the AAI’s plan to build a parallel runway when the government had already announced another greenfield airport project. They also demanded that the residential areas located in the periphery of the airport land should be exempted.

They alleged that the state government had misled the people because even after registration of land was frozen at Manapakkam, Tharapakkam, Gerugambakkam, and Kolapakkam, the registrar office at Pammal was registering land, said Sumathi, a resident.

She has purchased 2,000 square feet at a project announced by EVP Township last year. However, the entire project has been marked for acquisition for airport expansion. “This looks like a non-viable project because the documents obtained using right to information shows that the AAI has not applied for clearance from Public Investment Board for constructing a parallel runway,” she said

Karthick, who purchased a 1,350-sq ft house for Rs 24 lakh from EVP said: “We have tried to reason with the collector that there was no need for construction of the parallel runway because three runways cannot be used at a time.”

Collector Santosh Mishra assured the residents that their demands would be conveyed to the state government and the AAI.


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