Runway expansion: Villagers oppose wetland acquisition

A group of villagers of Keezhakurichi and Keezhakalkandarkottai, near here, have appealed to the district administration to withdraw the proposed move to acquire wet lands from their villages for the Tiruchi airport runway expansion project.

Armed with a petition containing the plea, the residents approached the Collectorate here on Monday during the weekly public grievances redressal day meeting and submitted the petition to the authorities.

The jointly signed petition, addressed to the District Collector, said people of both villages were dependent on farming for their livelihood.

The petitioners said they learnt from reports in media that a public notice had been issued relating to the proposed move to acquire wet lands of around 200 persons of the two villages.

It claimed that the notice had mentioned it as dry lands. The Act relating to land acquisition clearly spells out that lands on which cultivation was being done should not be acquired. This being the case the proposed move to acquire wet lands by terming it as dry lands only amounts to usurping the rights of the farmers, it further said.

The petition urged the district administration to withdraw its move to acquire wet lands in Keezhakurichi and Keezhakalkandarkottai villages for the project.

Source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/runway-expansion-villagers-oppose-wetland-acquisition/article19400431.ece