Activist Valarmathi arrested for protesting against Salem-Chennai expressway

Salem: As more voices are being raised against the proposed Rs 10,000 crore Salem-Chennai expressway ‘green corridor’ project, the Salem police on Tuesday arrested youth-activist Ms Valarmathi, as she strongly objected to the project at a meeting police and revenue department officials had here at Achankuttapatti, where officials sought to survey the lands for the project.

Even as police and revenue department officials have been coordinating the land survey for the project, beginning with the Salem-Harur stretch on Monday, land owners and farmers in those areas have been objecting to the pre-project activities. Farmers in various villages are reportedly questioning the officials’ land survey related activities. In a similar incident at Adimalaiputhur, seven members of a family led by one Unnamalai was taken for questioning by police recently, triggering tension in the area.

In this backdrop, one of the local landowners of Achankuttapatti, one Ms Vijayalakshmi on Tuesday was seen arguing with a local land acquisition tashildar that part of her farm land proposed to be taken up for the ‘green corridor’ project should not be acquired. Police and revenue officials sought to assuage her feelings saying suitable compensation would be paid by the government, but Vijalakashmi was not convinced and sat on a dharna on the road, protesting the land survey activities.

Activist Valarmathi who then came to the spot, expressed solidarity with the farmers cause and argued with the officials that land should not be acquired for the Salem-Chennai expressway project. When officials asked her whether she possessed any land in that stretch, Valarmathi raised slogans, forcing police to arrest her stating that she was “needlessly instigating” the people on this issue.

Valarmathi being whisked away in a police van from that place came close on the arrest of another environmental activist, Piyush Manush by Salem Thivattipatti police on Monday night, for protesting against the land acquisition for the planned Salem airport expansion project and for allegedly arranging an interaction of the Tamil actor Mansoor Ali Khan, arrested earlier, with the locals over this issue. Valarmathi was detained under the Goondas Act few months back for distributing objectionable, anti-government pamphlets in Salem, but the Madras High Court had quashed her detention.