Malappuram on boil: Land survey bid triggers violence

Malappuram: Violence erupted at  Areethode area of AR Nagar panchayat in the district over the land acquisition survey for the National Highway-66 on Friday. The police clashed with the protestors objecting to the survey,  and around 11 people,  including children,  and several policemen,  were injured.   The police allegedly entered the houses and beat up women and children. A minor girl  who collapsed during the melee  was rushed to hospital.

A large number of agitators tried to prevent the  revenue officials from conducting the survey  in the residential area for the new alignment for the 1.2-km road while the existing national highway in the region can be widened. The proposed road would affect 32 houses, several shops and small roads there.  The clashes erupted as protestors allegedly hurled stones at the police. The cops resorted to lathicharge and burst  teargas and grenades against the protestors.    

The agitators,  including women and children,  took to the highway and held a sit-in protest.  They burnt tyres and put rocks  on the NH- 66 between Kolappuram and Thalapara and    blocked traffic  for more than an hour.   The  police  overpowered the protestors and brought the situation under control. They  also removed the blocks on the roads making way for the traffic.

Local legislator K.N.A Khadher also came out in protest and held a sit-in in front of the district collector’s chamber demanding to stop the survey process. Collector Amit Meena is on leave.  Later Mr Khader said that he had received a call from the office of the PWD minister  saying that  the survey had  been stopped in the area and that the issue will be discussed in an all-party meeting  on April 11.

However, the revenue officials led by deputy collector in charge of land acquisition J.O.  Arun  completed the survey under tight police security. He said the survey covers around 3.5 km  a day. “On Friday as well we could cover the 3.5-km  stretch and it will be continued as per the plan in the coming days,” he said. “The realignment was done to avoid a mosque and a temple beside the existing highway. We are surveying both the proposed areas and the available land along the existing road,”  Mr Arun said.