Patkar joins agitation against Chennai airport expansion

Patkar joins agitation against Chennai airport expansion

Chennai (PTI): Noted social activist Medha Patkar on Friday joined agitation against the proposed expansion of Chennai airport, asserting that the project had displaced hundreds of people and caused environmental hazards.

Taking part in a demonstration here, she said that the government had 'failed' to assess the environmental impact of the project as it caused flooding from the nearby Adyar river during peak monsoon.

"The expansion is an encroachment on people's land without their consent. It is against the very rules of rehabilitation that are against displacement of anyone in development, emphasised in the National Rehabilitation Policy," she said.

Patkar, who has participated in similar demonstrations in Chennai earlier, demanded that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi should ask the Airports Authority of India to reconsider the project.

Later, speaking to reporters, Patkar appealed to the state and Centre governments not to displace the poor while implementing urban development plans. She also said that government should consult the poor while formulating urban development programmes. "Currently, no government is doing that," she claimed.

Patkar alleged that a political-corporate nexus was trying to pocket all available land for real estate purposes. "Corporates are urging the government to undertake real estate development for their private agenda," she said.

The project site has already been shifted by the government due to opposition from the locals as well as political parties, including the PMK.

The project was shifted to the present area, comprising 1099 acres on Tharapakkam, Gerugambakkam,Manapakkam and Kolapakkam.

http://www.hindu.com/holnus/004200901030331.htm