Salem farmers revive stir against 8-lane work, post Gadkari’s speech

The farmers, who heaved a sigh of relief over the order, revived their protests with fresh momentum against the project after Gadkari’s announcement.

More than 25 farmers, including women, from Ramalingapuram held a black flag protest along with their cattle against the project on Monday. They raised slogans against the BJP government for being hell-bent on implementing the project and condemned the AIADMK leaders for maintaining silence over the issue.

The farmers feared that their livelihood will be lost if their fertile farm lands are snatched away by the government for the road project. They claimed that their anger will definitely reflect in the polls.

Similar protests broke out in Punseikaadu, Choolamedu, Poolavari and Aathukaadu villages near Salem. Farmers also hoisted black flags in their farms and took a protest march in groups from farm lands to different streets of their villages.

The farmers claimed that while the Madras High Court has quashed the project as it may cause harm to the environment, the announcement by the Union Minister is tantamount to defamation. At Pappireddipatti in Dharmapuri district, farmers threatened to boycott polls, if the state and Central governments don’t drop the expressway project.

Led by ‘Kombur’ Palaniappan of Joint Action Committee Against Green Corridor Project, the farmers took a black flag march with their cattle and hoisted black flags in their farms to express their protest against the project.

In fact, the proposed eight-lane works turned out to be a poll key issue as more than 15,000 acres of fertile farmlands in a dozen districts were to be affected. Only a week ago, the farmers heaved a sigh of relief after the High Court quashed the land acquisition for the project, but had now resorted to protests again.