CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam questioned why the report of the expert committee headed by S Machendranathan, which examined the feasibility of setting up an airport at Parandur, was not made public throughout the DMK regime despite repeated demands.
"Even after repeated demands from people like us, why was the report of the expert committee kept under wraps?" he asked. Shanmugam alleged that the DMK government had not maintained transparency on the issue. "Is the DMK ready to explain why it was necessary to hide the report?" he asked.
The DMK government had constituted the Machendranathan committee in February 2023 to examine various aspects of the proposed airport, including environmental, hydrogeological and rehabilitation issues. The report was not made public.
Meanwhile, CPM-affiliated Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam state general secretary Sami Natarajan urged the state government to return the agricultural lands acquired for the Parandur airport project to the respective farmers.
Citing the 2013 land acquisition law, Natarajan said that land acquired for a specific purpose should be returned to the original landowners if it was not used for that purpose.
"Since the Parandur airport project has been dropped, the agricultural lands acquired for it should be handed back to the respective farmers. The TVK government should return the lands to the farmers in accordance with the 2013 land acquisition law," he said.
Separately, CPI-affiliated Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association welcomed Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's announcement in the Assembly on Monday that the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram district would be scrapped. It urged the state government to withdraw all police cases registered against farmers and residents who had protested against the project.
The association's general secretary BS Masilamani also welcomed the Chief Minister's announcement that a new site would be identified for the state's second airport. He urged the government not to select another location dominated by agricultural land and residential areas, thereby subjecting farmers to similar hardship.