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Opposition to Salem-Chennai Expressway deliberate, says Edappadi K Palaniswami
Charging that ‘a few people’ are deliberately opposing the Chennai-Salem Expressway, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said the corridor was necessary to cope with the rising number of vehicles and asserted that 90 per cent of the people were giving up their lands without opposition.
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Reacting to allegations by the Opposition that the government is resorting to suppression and arrests of social activists and political leaders who are opposing the expressway, the Chief Minister told the Assembly that the government is providing security to anyone who is protesting against it.
The road is not for Salem alone and it would help the districts of Karur, Dindigul and Madurai. Besides, the road would be useful for those going to Erode, Tirupur, Coimbatore and Kerala. The corridor would reduce the travelling distance by 60 km and such reduction would decrease the smoke coming out from vehicles and protect the environment, he argued.
Explaining the detention of CPM executive committee member Balabharathi, who went to meet the people at Pappireddipatti in Dharmapuri district through which the corridor is being laid, he said the former MLA had expressed ‘some opinion’ to the people after inspected the lands to be acquired there. However, she was let off immediately in the evening after a case was filed, he said.
Palaniswami also denied that PMK youth wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss was not allowed to meet the people in his Parliamentary constituency and his request to meet the people were accepted by the government. Anbumani was permitted to meet people at Salem and a few districts.
Anbumani was asked to meet the people at one place since his visit to several villages could trigger law and problem issues, Palaniswami said. When the same request for meeting people at one place was made to TMC leader GK Vasan, he arranged meetings at auditoriums, the Chief Minister pointed out.
The previous DMK government too acquired over 3,000 hectares of land to lay 17 roads, he recalled and said when the DMK laid the Ulundurpet road, besides the Krishnagiri-Salem road, the number of vehicles were 1.07 crore. Now, the number of vehicles had gone up to 2.57 crore and the state needs roads with modern technology to support them, he said.
Tamil Nadu is a state where the number of protests is the highest in the country and security is being provided to anyone who is protesting against the government.
The AIADMK is giving full freedom to the people, he said and added that the government is taking the criticism of the Leader of Opposition and leaders of other parties in the right sense. He said several cases were filed (by the DMK government) and added it is AIADMK government which allows full freedom of expression.
Law amended to allow hoardings
The Assembly on Monday passed bills amending the Acts of Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai Municipal Corporations and Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act 1920 to allow grant of licence for erection of hoardings in any place belonging to the urban local bodies.
The amendment allows erection of hoardings wholly or in part on any land, building, wall or structure belonging to the corporation and municipalities. Opposing the Bill in principle, former Chennai Mayor and DMK legislator Ma Subramanian referred to the steps taken during the previous DMK regime to control hoardings and said the amendment would allow hoardings to mushroom across the city.
Allaying the fears of the Opposition MLA, Local Administration Minister SP Velumani said the object of the amendment was to regulate erection of hoardings and there were necessary provisions to that effect in the amended Act. The House passed separate bills amending the Tamil Nadu Town and Country Planning Act 1971 to give statutory backing to Transferrable Development Rights and introduce Land Pooling Area Development Scheme as an alternative to the present modes of land acquisition. Another bill amending the Chennai City Civil Court Act 1892 was passed enhancing the pecuniary jurisdiction of the court from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore.
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