Chennai: Locals protest against ASI survey

Chennai: Residents of old Pallavaram and its neighbourhood on Friday announced that they would chase away, both the union and the state government officials, if they go ahead with their scheduled inspection on Monday to joint survey land sites in connection with an Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) notification on building regulations around protected monument sites.

“For the past seven years we are struggling to protect our homes and on Monday hundreds of families will join the protest. We want more public support like the Jallikattu row and please campaign among youngsters”, said N Senthil Kumar, president, Union Carbide colony residents’ welfare association, while addressing a sit-in protest urging the centre to cancel the ASI notification banning construction activities in Pallavaram.

“Despite representations to the state and the Centre, there is no respite. Elected MLAs and MPs have also not addressed our issue. So we have decided to protest against officials if they survey our area”, said D. Santhakumari, an office bearer of Pallavan Nagar residents’ welfare association.

“My ancestors bought the land as per the rules and there is nothing illegal in our land documents. But citing Pallavaram as an ancient site, ASI now wants to acquire the land and had also banned any construction, we want the government to cancel the central notification”, urged another lady protestor of Old Pallavaram. In 2014, the then ASI top brass in Chennai wrote to the centre informing that about 15,000 families will be affected, losing their homes if the ASI norms were implemented and this recommendation should be implemented, the demonstrators said holding the copies of the letter sent from the ASI Chennai circle to New Delhi.