Only 400/1,900 hectares are cultivable land: TN CM

Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday told the Assembly that only 400 hectares of the estimated 1,900 hectares meant for the Chennai-Salem Green Expressway was cultivable land and only “a few persons” who could be affected were staging protests and that should not be made into a big issue.

The opposition is being blown up through the media, he said, adding: “Of the estimated 1,900 hectares to be acquired for this road, 400 hectares is government poramboke land. Of the balance of 1500 hectares, 1100 hectares is being acquired in dry-arid lands and only 400 hectares is being acquired from arable parts.”

CM Palaniswami said boundary stones have already been erected in 26.9 of the 36 km stretch in Salem and Dharmapuri and the remaining portions across the other districts would be covered under the project soon.

Emphasising that any government developmental project involved land acquisition, he said the previous government had not even given adequate compensation while acquiring lands for projects.

“Now (for this project) higher compensation will be provided as per the new land acquisition act,” the CM said, adding that the Salem Green Expressway project was designed in such a way to ensure there were no road mishaps, fuel would be saved and it would contribute to all-round growth.

The 277.3 km long eight-lane greenfield project connecting Salem and Chennai under the Centre's 'Bharatmala Pariyojana' scheme aims to cut the travel time between the two cities by half to about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The Rs 10,000 crore project has been facing opposition from some locals, including farmers, over fears of losing their land; besides the environmentalists expressing anguish that trees would be chopped and the hills on the route broken to make way for the road which they insist is not really needed.