Taking into account the public opposition that arises during land acquisition for mega projects, including new industrial parks, the Tamil Nadu government has instructed officials to proceed patiently.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has instructed officials of the Industries Department not to rush land acquisition activities for implementing new industrial parks and other infrastructure projects that require large extents of land.
The state government has announced and is implementing several mega projects to promote industrial and economic growth across Tamil Nadu. However, strong opposition has emerged in several places whenever land has been acquired from the public for these projects. In this context, the decision was taken during an important consultation meeting held with concerned department officials and senior government authorities.
During the previous administration, several mega projects were announced, including the new airport at Parandur in Kanchipuram district, the new airport project and Knowledge Corridor in Hosur, Krishnagiri district, and the International City project in Chengalpattu. In particular, the Parandur airport project requires a total of 5,300 acres of land. Of this, only 1,500 acres have been acquired so far out of the 3,000 acres owned by private landowners.
Earlier, when land acquisition activities were carried out for the Parandur airport project and for establishing SIPCOT industrial parks in districts including Tiruvannamalai, there was strong opposition from local residents and farmers, resulting in several protests. Due to the present change in the political administration, the remaining land acquisition work for the Parandur airport project has currently been put on hold.
Similarly, land has not yet been acquired for the proposed International City spread across 2,000 acres in Maduranthakam, Chengalpattu district, and the Hosur Knowledge Corridor. At a recent government consultation meeting regarding the implementation of these projects, officials were clearly instructed that, “There is no need to act in haste in implementing projects that require large extents of land, including the establishment of new industrial parks; the situation can be observed patiently.”
To avoid public opposition and ensure that the state’s development projects are implemented smoothly, the Tamil Nadu government has adopted this cautious approach. Through this directive, it is noteworthy that the government’s approach toward land acquisition for large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects has undergone a significant change.
