Farmers walk out of meeting on expressway

The public hearing, convened by the Salem district administration for the second time, was presided by DRO R Sugumar at a marriage hall in Ayodyapattinam. It may be recalled that farmers made a similar walkout in the first meeting held recently.  

Villagers from Erumapalayam, Kuppanur, Achanguttapatty and Ayodyapattinam came to participate in the public hearing. The farmers were subjected to severe frisking by police before they were permitted into the meeting hall.   

Stating that they were scanned to detect if they carried a bomb, farmers alleged that the officials spoke to them individually in a threatening tone and urged them to give away their land for the project. 

Following this, the farmers from Ayodyapattinam walked out of the meeting hall and staged a protest. They also raised slogans against the officials for treating them as anti-social elements. However, another group of farmers continued to participate in the meeting and expressed their apprehensions about the project. 

The district administration has already completed a survey for the road project, which would run for 36 kilometres in Salem.