People's Democracy

Modernisation At The Cost Of ‘Lesser’ Mortals

U Vasuki

THESE children do not look up with excitement at the aeroplanes whizzing past their skies; if anything, they tremble with fear. These are the ones at Anagaputhur, Pozhichalur, Pammal and Caul Bazaar areas under the South Chennai parliamentary constituency. To the children of these areas, aeroplanes are the cause of distress in their families. Yes, the proposed expansion of Chennai airport (setting up of a new international airport) conceived by the civil aviation ministry is waiting to uproot nearly 5000 houses of poor and lower middle class families in these areas.

It all started in July 2000 when the ministry mooted this proposal and requested the Tamilnadu government for land. Correspondence from March 2005 to September 2005 between the Tamilnadu Industries Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), Chennai metropolitan development authority, transport department and their branches indicate that 1457 acres of land falling in Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Gerugambakkam, Tharapakkam, Tandalam, Kovur, Periapanicherry and Caul Bazaar will be required for this project and hence all building activities must be frozen. The letters clearly state that this was done as per the instruction of the then chief minister Ms J Jayalalitha. The correspondence quotes the request of the AAI (Airport Authority of India) for land in these areas so as to prepare the notification. Most of these places are vacant sites and therefore there was generally no dissent.

The list of areas changed dramatically through GO MS No. 91 dated December 14, 2005, issued by transport department through its enclosures and land plan schedule. Pozhichalur, Pammal, Anakaputhur and a few other areas were surreptitiously brought into the acquisition list. News about this started leaking in the press from March 2006. The residents of these areas were rudely awakened to the fact that their houses would be razed to the ground. These areas cover 4629 houses, 9 water tanks, 14 school buildings, 8 government buildings, 5 private companies, 23 temples (one among them being the 800 years old Agastheeswar temple) and 2 churches. Apart from this, a large number of people have constructed huts and kutcha houses in poromboke land in the proposed areas. The people were not even formally consulted about it. Exnora (an NGO working on environmental issues) wrote a letter to the chief minister and the prime minister that the proposed site for construction of new international airport is inappropriate and hence should be shifted to Sriperumpudur which has a vast expanse of flat land. But the government did not budge. 

In the meantime, residents of Pozhichalur, Anagaputhur, Pammal and Caul Bazaar formed a struggle committee to protect their houses and started a series of protest actions. The men, women and children who have hitherto never participated in any struggle are in the thick of it now. The CPI(M)’s South Chennai district committee is leading the movement and fully backing up the struggle committee fully. The CITU, DYFI and AIDWA have conducted solidarity actions in support of their demand. “We are not against modernisation. But it should be done without dislocating the more than 5000 houses,” said T Nandagopal, secretary of the CPI(M)’s South Chennai district committee. 
The response of participants in this struggle is a reflection of how a struggle impacts their consciousness. Their resolve has got strengthened in the movement. 

The acquisition list contains an area called “Commissioner’s Colony” where the retired policepersons have constructed houses. “Throughout our lives, we have obeyed the orders of the ruling government, but now even our houses do not escape destruction,” some of them lamented. 

Many of the residents are suffer from trauma due to it. Loss of sleep, absentmindedness, feelings of dread and terror have become grindingly common. Children complained that elders are always crying and fighting, and that they get scolded frequently, affecting their studies. Those who wanted to sell their houses for various reasons are now unable to do so. Even marriage alliances are not materialising because the houses are going to be lost. 

The million-dollar question is: Why was the original proposal altered? While the vacant lands originally marked are still vacant, why are areas with thousands of dwellings and homes being proposed to be acquired now? The lament of a resident succinctly captures this ‘lacuna’: “big industrialists, cine stars, big politicians and real estate owners are not living here. So the government feels that it can get away with acquiring this area and make us refugees in our home state.” So, as a corollary, does it imply that the vacant areas earlier earmarked are owned by ‘higher mortals’? Is that the reason for this shift? The list of owners of vacant sites also confirms this suspicion.

Two cases have been filed in the court and interim stay granted. Nevertheless, the struggle continues in full swing under the red flag. Thousands of residents, mainly women, are in the forefront, hoping that their little homes constructed out of retirement benefits, loans and their blood and sweat will remain with them. The central civil aviation ministry and the newly installed state government should listen to this voice of despair. N Varadarajan, secretary of the CPI(M)’s Tamilnadu state committee, was of the opinion that the DMK government, which made a welcome beginning through its no tax budget proposals, must continue the trend on this issue which has the potential of affecting the lives of thousands of people.