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Residents of Chinniyampalayam and Kalapatti on Sunday intensified their struggle against the proposed move to acquire residential lands for airport expansion by surrendering the family cards under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and the Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) to the Civil Rights Protection Movement. The residents of both these local bodies had been on a series of agitation for the last few months opposing this move. The residents demanded that the State Government should intervene and ensure that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) acquired the vacant lands around the airport and save hundreds of middle income group families who had constructed houses around the airport.N. Parameshwaran, the Secretary of the Civil Rights Protection Movement said that the residents had already organised a massive one-day token fast followed by a 15-day relay fast that ended recently.In the absence of any assurance or clear announcement on the acquisition plans in the form of gazette notification, the Civil Rights Protection Movement had called for an agitation, where the residents would declared themselves as “international orphans” and would surrender their PDS family cards and EPIC stating that citizenship accorded to them was of no use, when there was no respect to their sentiments or for their right to property.
On Sunday, more than 700 residents had surrendered the PDS family cards and over 600 residents had surrendered their EPIC cards. The movement conducting the struggle plans to meet the District Collector and hand over these cards in fifteen days failing to get an audience which they would be despatched in registered post.Having exhausted all democratic forms of protest such as fast, relay fast the movement was left with no other option but to contemplate on bandh, road blocks and processions in its future plan of action to draw the attention of the Government.The agitation would continue relentlessly till the Government came up with an concrete assurance in the form of a gazette notification stating that residential, cultivated lands and those with industries, institutions would not be acquired for the airport expansion, Mr.Parameshwaran said.
