CHENNAI: Around 50 villagers of Parandur who were about to march to Kalaignar memorial on Friday were arrested by the police.

On the 900th day of the everyday-night protest, villagers of Parandur and Eganapuram decided to march to the Kalaignar Memorial in Chennai and protest against the State government’s plan to build an airport. However, the Kancheepuram police did not give permission for the protest.

So, on Friday morning, hundreds of cops were deployed in Parandur and its surrounding villages to stop the villagers. Around 50 people, who tried to march to the Kalaignar memorial even after the police warning, were arrested near the Ambedkar statue in Eganapuram and taken to the nearby community hall.

Villagers lamented over the lack of support from the State government in the issue so far due to which they had decided to march to the memorial of the former CM to grab the attention of the government officials. “We will never stop protesting; we plan to protest in a bigger way in the next few days,” they said.

The Union government had announced Parandur as the location of the Greenfield airport in August 2022. The airport was planned by acquiring 5,746 acres from 20 villages. The Union government is keen on completing the project by 2028.