DMK opposes appeal against HC order

DMK president MK Stalin said the Union government with the help of the state should look at other alternatives in the place of the proposed Chennai-Salem Expressway project.

Condemning the BJP government at the Centre for preferring an appeal in the apex court against the Madras High Court’s order quashing the land acquisition proceedings for the project, he said “the decision to appeal is betrayal to the people of Tamil Nadu.”

“Despite losing the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK and BJP have not learnt any lessons from it,” he said adding “the vengeance against the people still continues.”

Stalin said learning lessons from the poll defeat, the state has to cancel its decision to move the Supreme Court. “Therefore, considering the fact that the farmers would suffer a lot due to the expressway project, the Centre and the state should look into other alternative ways to implement it,” he added.

He also pointed out that the existing project proposal will affect districts like Kancheepuram, Tiruvanamalai, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Salem. “It is shocking to note that Centre’s decision on the expressway project came a day after Narendra Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister,” he said.

The DMK leader also recalled the silence of ruling AIADMK and its ally PMK when Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced at an election rally in the state that the eight lane Expressway project will be implemented.

The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court, requesting it to vacate the stay imposed on the Chennai-Salem Expressway project by the Madras High Court.

The plea filed by the state will be coming up for hearing in the apex court June 3. Recently, the High Court quashed the land acquisition proceedings for the controversial expressway between Chennai and Salem.