KANCHEEPURAM: The "Oragadam model" of extending compensation for lands acquired for non-residential purposes is likely to be adopted in the Chennai airport expansion project.
Majority of landowners who have resisted the land acquisition process initiated by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu at Oragadam last year, to assist a multi-national company for setting up its production unit, subsequently agreed to relinquish their rights over their lands after the SIPCOT announced a compensation package on a par with the market value.
Enquiries revealed that as far as the Chennai airport expansion project was concerned, agricultural lands formed a sizable portion of the total extent of land to be acquired for the project at Gerugambakkam, Kolapakkam, Tharapakkam, Kovur and Manapakkam, where residential colonies have sprung up during the last two decades.
While the idea of adopting the Oragadam model was being pursued seriously for extending compensation for vacant lands, alternative sites with 'minimum' compensation were likely to be offered to those who had invested in immovable properties at the above-mentioned hamlets, sources said.
Meanwhile, a group of people who have formed the United People's Forum for Survival (UPFS) forum presented a memorandum to Collector Santosh K. Misra on January 21, urging the governments to reconsider the airport expansion project.
UPFS secretary Ms. Brindha said the execution of the airport expansion project would result in environment and ecological problems for those living in the areas abutting the Chennai Airport.
It would also drain enormous amount of the exchequer in the form of compensation.
The Airport Authority and the governments could consider switching over to a satellite-based navigation system to control air traffic instead of the existing radar based system.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/23/stories/2008012359490500.htm
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WHO'S AIRPORTS ARE THESE?
The strike by airport employees all over the country to protest against the closure of the old Bangalore and Hyderabad airports is totally unwaranted. These strikes done on a national scale to protest against non-local issues make one wonder for whom these airports are run.
The Nationalization of our airport has created only a host of problems. There is one hand overcrowding of the so-called hub airports and on other hand a host of airport which lie unutilized.
Take the instance of state of TamilNadu. There are 3 under-utilized airports in Vellore, Salem and Tuticorin. This strike against Bangalore and Hyderabad airports has caused unwarranted delays in Chennai airports for people travelling else where thanks to the strike there. Why should the issues related in one location/state lead to strikes on a National scale. Salem airport was built 15 years back at cost of more than 15 crores but has never seen a single flight! People would have appreciated if the Chennai airport strike was to protest for neglect Salem and other airports in the state. People in TamilNadu have to travel more than 200km to board flights due to sheer lack of enough airports in the state, only to welcomed by a strike in Chennai airport to protest what is going on in Hyderabad or Bangalore!
Our airports are also being used as another tool by the government for pushing thecentral language policy, as seen by the fact that most of security staff and airline ground employees do not even speak the local langugaes. This problem is clearly felt in Chennai international airport through which many labourers travel from southern districts.
It would be the interest of the country to transfer the management of the airport to the respective states. This would alteast healthly competition amoung states to develop their respective aviation infrastructure.
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