Chennai, Aug 26 (IANS) CPM Tamil Nadu state secretary P. Shanmugam on Wednesday urged the government to return the land acquired for the proposed Parandur greenfield airport to farmers, opposing its possible use for alternative industrial projects after the airport plan was dropped.
In a statement, Shanmugam said the future of the acquired land had become a matter of concern after the issue was raised in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. Legislators sought clarity from the government about how it intended to use the property already taken over for the airport project.
Responding to the questions, the Industries Minister indicated that the land could be deployed for other industrial ventures. Shanmugam objected to the proposal, saying the government could not simply divert property acquired for one stated public purpose to an entirely different project after abandoning the original scheme.
He cited the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, to support his demand. According to Shanmugam, the legislation requires land acquired for a specific project to be returned to its original owners if it remains unused for five years or if the project itself is abandoned. The law, he said, does not permit the authorities to retain such land indefinitely or transfer it to another scheme. Any attempt to use the Parandur land for unrelated industrial development would therefore amount to a violation of the statute, he argued.
The proposed airport at Parandur had faced prolonged opposition from farmers and residents in villages identified for acquisition. Protesters had repeatedly warned that the project would lead to the loss of fertile agricultural land, homes and livelihoods, besides affecting water bodies and the wider local environment.
Shanmugam said the government must recognise that farmers had parted with their property only because it was being acquired for the airport. Once that purpose ceased to exist, the State was legally and morally obliged to restore the land rather than repurpose it without their consent.
He urged the administration to withdraw any proposal to use the acquired plots for alternative industries and immediately begin the process of returning them to the original landowners. The government should also ensure that farmers are not denied their rights through administrative decisions taken after the cancellation of the airport project, he said firmly.
--IANS
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